


May I

by plumeriafairy14



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: 3racha are royal guards, Action, Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Ambassador Hyunjin, Angst with a Happy Ending, Assassination, Bodyguard, Bodyguard Changbin, Bodyguard Jisung, Everyone except Chan are little shits, Fight Scenes, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Honorifics here and there but it's not consistent, Jeongin is still a student but he has royal connections, Killing, Lee Felix & Lee Minho | Lee Know are Siblings, M/M, Mentioned suicide, Modern, Modern Royalty, Murder, Other idol cameos if you squint really hard, Prince Felix, Romance, Royal advisory Seungmin, Royalty AU, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Softcore smut, Song Inspired, Suicide of unnamed characters, That might change if I decide to write it graphically, These kids just love each other so much i want to cry, abuse of the word 'baby', bodyguard chan, changlix, crown prince Minho, cursing, established changlix, executions, graphic depictions of injury, implied sex scenes, let Jeongin say 'fuck', minsung - Freeform, their ages are a little different, tones of homophobia, unbeta'd we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:48:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 68,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27552598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plumeriafairy14/pseuds/plumeriafairy14
Summary: Lee Minho is the crown prince and heir to the throne of the empire of South Korea. After a close assassination attempt that almost took his life, everyone had been pressuring him to employ a personal guard like his younger brother, Felix, had. When he ended up in a high-end fight club for the anonymously rich and famous, a potential candidate caught Minho’s eye; an underdog fighter named Han Jisung, which he recruits to become his royal guard.Now, Minho and Jisung must work together to get through the frequent assassination attempts on the crown prince's life while trying to figure out who wants Minho and his family dead. As they navigate through the intricate maze of their professional relationship dash friendship, the crown prince and the royal guard slowly and ardently fall in love... or maybe, they always have been.Loyalties will be questioned, friendships will be tested, and with love, comes pain, for the assassin is closer than they think.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Lee Felix/Seo Changbin
Comments: 115
Kudos: 352





	1. The Bullet that Changed Everything

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello! My name is Fairy, a baby Stay and this is my first SKZ fic which mainly revolves around Minsung. Just wanted to say that I'm very rusty in my writing and this fic is an attempt to get back into creating fics. Also, this is unbeta'd and English isn't my mother language so I apologize for errors in grammar and tenses. 
> 
> I don't have a posting schedule and I work on chapters when I have the time since real life often gets in the way. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy this story and please don't forget to leave a comment, I'd really appreciate it!
> 
> Moodboards at my twitter: https://twitter.com/lightoflunaris/status/1327465932294221825

Chapter 1

The car ride to the charity event was annoyingly slow with the traffic that met them in downtown Seoul. Unlike his father, the King, Lee Minho’s convoy was small with only three cars. The two that sandwiched his vehicle contained bodyguards while his own car held him, his younger brother Felix, and two others who were the driver and the younger prince’s personal guard, Changbin.

Stories would often romanticized the royal life with gallant balls and meeting the love of their lives in the most exaggerated way possible. There were riches, fame, and a level of authority to rule the whole country under Minho’s belt that came with his birthright as the crown prince of South Korea.

Minho hated it.

It wasn’t a dream for him because for as long as he could remember, he felt the chains of responsibility of becoming the future king the moment he went to his first royal function at the age of seven. He remembered when he watched Felix with envy as the younger got to stay at the palace and play while he had to sit with his father while he spoke with foreign delegates. He asked if he could play with the younger boy there who happened to be one of the ambassador’s son and his father refused.

Minho had sulked on the way home. After that, it was one painstaking royal duty after another. He didn’t have a lot of friends while growing up and the ones he did have were from families that held a position in his father’s court. Two of the them was the ambassador’s son, Hwang Hyunjin and the son of one of his father’s advisor, Kim Seungmin.

He hated this life. Where other people would kill to be royalty, Minho would give up one of his organs for the freedom from it. He was distracted by a loud fizzing sound when Felix cracked open a soda can he pulled from the mini fridge in their limo.

“Won’t you ruin your lunch if you drank that, Yongbok?” Minho spoke for the first time since they left the royal palace to go to the charity event they were invited to. They were going to represent the royal family since charity events were too menial for their father’s attention nowadays.

Felix frowned at the use of his birth name. “Yongbok?”

The younger prince’s Korean was laced with traces of a foreign accent around the edges. He preferred his English name, Felix, which he had chosen when the king and queen sent their youngest son to study abroad in Australia for a couple of years before he returned to continue university here in Korea last year. It was also one of the many things that Minho secretly envied about his brother, Felix got to study abroad and had the opportunity to see another world while he was homeschooled and attended a Korean university under their parents’ close watch. He questioned his mother about it once, after Felix left for Australia for the first time and the queen told him that his younger brother was being groomed to help him in international affairs once he inherits the throne.

“Felix.” Minho repeated, correcting himself this time. He held back the sigh he wanted to let out because he didn’t want to upset the younger.

“It’s just one, hyung.” Felix pouted. “You’re starting to sound like mom.”

This time, it was Minho’s turn to frown and finally let out the sigh that he wanted to let out just mere seconds ago. “Well, don’t come complaining to me later if you get a stomachache, you’re a grown man.”

This time, Felix grinned in triumph and took a long sip on the metal straw he slid inside the soda can before he handed it to Minho who gave him a questioning look.

“Want some?”

“I can open my own can, thank you very much.” Minho replied, deadpanned. Felix shrugged and offered it to the guy clad in a suit beside him.

“Hyung?” Felix smiled sweetly at Changbin who rolled his eyes at the younger prince but smiled before he took the can and made a couple of sips on the same straw. Minho pretended to ignore the fact that it was an indirect kiss or that his brother was blushing while he looked out the window. He knew that Felix and his personal guard had something going on between them.

They were discreet not to let anyone notice because it would be a huge shitstorm of a scandal if Felix and Changbin were discovered but they let little acts slip in front of Minho. He might be a stick in the mud most of the time, but he would never ruin the trust his little brother had in him. Also, Minho liked Changbin since the bodyguard was near his age and he was one of the people in the royal palace that he can actually talk to as a friend.

Again, Minho secretly envied them because he wished he could have what Felix and Changbin had.

A exasperated sigh. “I want to go home.”

“Same.” Felix and Changbin answered at the same time. That caught them off guard and the looked at each other before bursting into giggles.

“First you indirectly make out in front of me and now you shamelessly flirt?” Minho dramatically rolled his eyes in disgust.

“Then maybe you should try and not be a stick in the mud, your highness?” Changbin offered helpfully. “I think Hyunjin’s single again.”

“Dude, gross!” Minho hissed a little too loudly but was glad that the passenger compartment of the limo and the car’s driver had a soundproof barrier. “I’ve seen that guy puke out his vegetables when we were seven and cry for 3 hours because he soiled his clothes.”

This time, Felix burst out laughing. “I didn’t know about that!”

“You were five and eating your crayons the time that happened.”

This time, Changbin made a soft cooing sound at Felix while he poked the prince’s side. Felix, being ticklish as he was, let out a shrieking laugh and swatted Changbin’s hand away.

“Uhg.” The crown prince grimaced.

“What about Seungmin?” Changbin asked.

“Please stop suggesting that I sleep with my friends, I’m begging you.” Minho whined. “We grew up together and are kind of working with each other in trying to run this country.”

“Even if Hyunjin-hyung and Seungmin are helping run the country, they’re not boring like you.” Felix teased and beside him, Changbin snickered.

“I thought you were on my side, Binnie!” Minho gave the royal guard an offended look.

“Well, if it’s not against Felix, I’m always going to be on your side but then again...”

“I’m putting your name on my Traitor List.” Minho stared soullessly into Changbin’s mischief filled eyes. “I should have you arrested for treason and have you eat spicy food all your life in your holding cell while your mouth burns.”

Changbin immediately clamped his mouth shut and stared at Minho with wide eyes. “You’re getting more creative with every threat, your highness.”

“I’m not being creative, I just have an arsenal of punishments.” Minho shrugged. “I’d need it if I intend to build a torture chamber under the palace.”

“You’re not being creative, you’re just being mean, hyung!” Felix pouted while he leaned his head on Changbin’s shoulder protectively. “You wouldn’t break my heart by hurting my Binnie, right?”

“Maybe, if you two stop being gross in front of me.”

“You thought _that_ was gross?” Changbin asked with an arched brow and the corners of his lips twitched with a small smirk. “That’s nothing compared to what we-“

“Ooookay, I think we’re here!” Felix suddenly clapped his hands once with overenthusiasm to get everyone’s attention before Changbin even spilled their bedroom escapades to his older brother. They all looked outside the window and surely enough, they just drove past the white iron gates of the Hwang manor where the charity event was being held.

Once a year, Hyunjin’s family held a charity lunch and an auction for paintings Hyunjin’s father brought home from his travels abroad. The money collected from the auctions were donated to orphanages and homes that catered to homeless senior citizens. Minho liked Ambassador Hwang and his wife while he and Hyunjin were best friends. They were even classmates when they both went to university except that Hyunjin lived in the dorms while Minho had to be picked up and dropped off school like a high school student. Well, common high school students, since normal kids walked and took the trains and busses. Minho was far from normal.

“Show time.” Felix whispered in that velvety deep voice of his while he smoothed the lapels of his navy blue jacket. Beside him, Changbin straightened his tie and slipped out his sunglasses from his pocket to put them on. He reached to tap on his earpiece to unmute and started confirming their position with the rest of the bodyguards.

Minho on the other hand, habitually fiddled on his ruby cufflinks set in white gold that matched is red and black silk jacket and the blood ruby bolo tie around his neck. He made sure that his black dress shirt that was exposed was free of dust and lint.

The car door opened and Changbin came out first. He looked around, used to the flashing lights of the paparazzi and the loud yells of the reporters that were trying to get the princes’ attention then nodded at Felix who followed suit. The crowd of reporters outside of the gate went wild at the sight of the younger prince. Prince Lee Felix was a crowd favorite because of his strong social media presence. He was the most famous South Korean influencer with his Instagram account that proudly held 30 million subscribers from fans around the world.

When it was crown prince Lee Minho who exited the car last, the crowds cheers became screaming questions about his father’s plans for the country or inquiries about the international ties with the royals from other countries. Because while Felix was the royal family’s carefree figurehead for public relations and an influence over the younger citizens of South Korea and the world, Minho was an enigma. He stood in his father’s shadow and was currently being trained to carry the weight and responsibility of becoming South Korea’s next king. Minho did not smile or showed emotion to the public eye. Emotion was often attributed to weakness and a weak king was a king that can be controlled by others.

The emotionless mask Minho wore was cold as ice. When he smiled for the camera, it was always a smile that did not reach his eyes. Minho knew that social media and the press were snakes waiting for him to slip up and make a mistake to scandalize the royal family. Minho turned to the crowd outside the towering white iron gates of the Hwang mansion and gave a wave and the most dazzling smile that he practiced in front of the mirror to acknowledge the presence of his future subjects.

The royal life was only good in books. Lee Minho despised it.

*

After all the art pieces have been auctioned off, Minho was glad to get out of his seat and so that he can proceed with socializing with the other guests. Minho didn’t have a problem interacting with other people because it helped him practice his charisma and people skills which he would need when he takes over the throne. However, Minho was careful; These were elites and almost all of them were assholes that befriended each other for business and influence connections. Felix was beside Minho the whole time which worked to Minho’s advantage because his brother held a charm that made his unsuspecting victims share more than what they’re supposed to. Information, of course, was very valuable for Minho.

It was a relief when Minho and Felix were left alone. They were social butterflies but they can only do so much.

“Do we have anything else after this?” Felix asked him and Minho fished out his phone from his pocket and checked the planner his assistant, Tzuyu, organized daily.

“We have a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new royal library at the University of Seoul at 3 PM.” Minho replied with little smile. The royal library was his own project which he initiated early last year. It was a project where the public, especially future historians, can have gain access to the archives of books and historical records accumulated by the royal family historians since the Joseon era. Minho was also an avid reader and he wanted to share that joy to others.

“Your annual project finally took off, congratulations, your highness.” Came confident but cheerful voice. Minho looked towards the direction of the voice and smiled at his childhood friend.

“Hyunjinnie-hyung!” Felix beamed when a tall and handsome young man approached them with a bright smile on his handsome face. Hwang Hyunjin was the South Korean ambassador’s son. Like Felix, Hyunjin held a high celebrity status because of his father’s line of work and his good looks. Not one of the collab videos he and Felix made had less than twenty million views. Of course, to keep up appearances, Minho was not allowed to appear in them. Sometimes, Minho couldn’t help but feel like he’s the royal family’s dirty little secret.

“Hey, Lix.” Hyunjin grinned when the younger prince threw his arms around him and he returned the hug warmly with a couple of pats on the back. “You’re looking great lately. Don’t tell me someone’s making you bloom.” He wagged his eyebrows mischievously at the prince.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Felix looked away to hide his red cheeks. The color slowly slipped to the tip of his ears and he reached to scratch the back of his ash blond dyed head to distract himself from looking at the opposite side of the ballroom where a black suited bodyguard idly walked around with a plate of desserts in hand while trying to fit in the aristocratic crowd.

“Changbin’s doing a really good job with it.” Hyunjin smirked and Felix shot Minho a sharp glare that translated to ‘I will murder you in your sleep.’ Minho in return shot a look of disbelief at Hyunjin for throwing him under the bus.

“Are you kidding me?” Minho demanded while he ungracefully chewed on a fruit pastry, gloriously pissed at Hyunjin. “I thought we agreed that this didn’t come from me!”

“Did I say that it came from you? Felix looked at you first.” Hyunjin took a sip of champagne from the dainty flute he held between his fingers. “I’m the best friend you’re so fortunate to have, your highness.”

“You’re going on my traitor list, Hwang Hyunjin.”

“I’ve been on your traitor list since elementary school and I’m still alive.” Hyunjin laughed while Felix was still visibly upset and when Minho looked at his little brother, the other prince was trying to not look at him which meant that Felix was _really_ upset. Minho sighed and gently guided his brother to the corner of the ballroom where there weren’t any people while Hyunjin followed them.

“Sorry, I told him, Bokkie.” Minho said apologetically. “It was wrong; It’s not my secret to tell.”

Felix said nothing.

“If it makes you feel better, it was kind of my fault.” Hyunjin said this time and Felix looked up at him but still said nothing. Minho pursed his lips and genuinely felt bad for telling Hyunjin his brother’s secret what made it worse was that he could feel Changbin’s confused gaze on their little huddle from the other side of the wide room and Minho was sure Changbin’s going to give up on their friendship, murder him in his sleep, and dump his body in the Han river. Changbin had his ways, after all.

“I got hyung drunk the other night while we were playing video games.” Hyunjin admitted. “I thought I could win if I played against his royal drunk ass. Turned out, it backfired and we were just too wasted to aim so we just ended cuddling while watching a really bad movie and well, that kind of led to talking about feelings.”

“My brother doesn’t have feelings.” Felix rolled his eyes. “Hell, he doesn’t have a soul.”

“Hey, I’m hurt!” Minho laughed nervously while he shot Hyunjin a ‘shut the fuck up’ look. “I’m the nicest guy ever!”

Felix scoffed.

“But really, I’m happy for you, Lixie.” Hyunjin smiled and motioned at Changbin. “Hyung’s lucky to have you. Sorry for teasing you like that when someone could have heard.”

“And I’m sorry that I let this ‘lil shit get me drunk and divulge secrets to him.” Minho said while Hyunjin laughed.

Felix chewed on his lower lip while he contemplated the apology. Minho isn’t good at apologizing. He rarely did it because of his pride (it’s a crown prince thing) but he does know how to be humble when he’s in the wrong.

“Fine, just please, keep in between us?” Felix pleaded. “If father finds out, I’m-“ He hesitated. “I’m afraid of what might happen to Changbin-hyung.”

“I’ll take it to my grave,” Minho promised. “and back when I crawl my way out.”

Felix burst into laughter and the deep and warm sound of it made Minho smile.

“And before you get mad again,” Hyunjin added carefully with a nervous smile. “Seungmin already figured it out before I even got your brother drunk but refused to say anything until Minho-hyung confirmed it.”

“Well, shit,” Felix groaned.

“The secret’s safe with him too.”

“You guys seriously suck.” Felix frowned again.

“That’s what friends are for, be pains in each other’s asses.” Minho said after he finished his champagne. The three of them became quiet when a server passed by to collect their empty glasses and the three helped themselves to a fresh batch. They had to be careful of what they say and do when they’re not in the privacy of their rooms because there were eyes and ears everywhere.

Felix spotted some servers bring out fresh batches of brownies and his eyes lit up. “I’m going to help myself to some of those pastries. I need to gather data.”

“You mean, replicate them when we get home.” Minho corrected.

“And make better versions.” Felix agreed Minho smiled. “I’m coming with you, I want to try some of those fruity th-“

Minho’s words died in his mouth when he noticed something shine from the attic window of the abandoned mansion next to Hyunjin’s house.

It was the nozzle of a rifle’s silencer.

The world suddenly slowed down; the voices from the unsuspecting guests became white noise that buzzed in his ears. His eyes slowly trailed down when it numbly registered to him that there was a red laser dot right on his chest.

“Minho!”

The world resumed to its normal pace and the next thing Minho knew, he was rolling on the floor after Changbin roughly shoved him out of the way. The breath was knocked out of his lungs when Minho hit the nearby dining table and knocked the fine china and glasses to floor. Changbin was fast was able to roll back up on his feet after he pushed Minho out of the way just before the bullet broke through the French window and embedded itself on the white marble floor. He drew his pistol and Minho’s blood turned to ice.

Screams filled the room as the guests desperately ran for their lives. Unfortunately, there were only two doors and about fifty guests which caused a stampede. But in that chaos, no one bothered to come back for Minho.

“Felix!” Minho called out blindly. His right shoulder hurt from the impact of being thrown to the floor and his ears rang loudly that he wasn’t sure if he can’t hear his own voice or if his mouth was moving soundlessly on its own. “Felix!”

Suddenly, a hand came down on top of his head and forced him to duck low. “He got out safely with Hyunjin.” Changbin gritted while he yanked the crown prince to the middle of the room and away from the windows where the shooter can see them.

Minho pushed himself to move as quickly as Changbin was going. When they reached the doors, Changbin bulldozed his way through the other panicking guests. It amazed Minho that someone with Changbin’s stature had such strength.

Down the hall, Minho knocked over a decorative wooden vase on a marble and mahogany stand when he pressed himself against the wall and slid down to sit on the floor. Cold sweat covered his whole face and his suit felt like a fridge instead of a furnace. Changbin slid down on the floor beside him, breathless and pistol still in hand. He took huge gulps of air while the guests ignored them and only thought about themselves.

After several huge gulps of air, Changbin caught his breath and spoke into his earpiece. “CB97, this is SpearB.” He paused to take another gulp of air. “The Panther is…safe.”

**_Is the crown prince hurt?_ **

Changbin looked at Minho who briefly returned the look and shook his head even before the bodyguard could ask him. The earpiece’s volume was turned up to max that’s why Minho heard the question from the head of the royal security tasked to specifically protect the princes.

“Negative.”

**_And you?_ **

“I’m fine.”

**_Good. We’ve surrounded the perimeter of the Hwang estate. The shooter escaped._ **

“Well, fuck.” Changbin muttered darkly while he clicked the safety back on his pistol. The sound visibly made Minho shudder beside him. “Hyung… Sights on the Sun?”

**_Prince Felix is safe. We got him in the car and he’s on his way back to the palace and away from danger._ **

Changbin sighed in relief.

**_State your location, I’m sending in a group to extract you._ **

“Down the hall from the ballroom.”

**_Copy. Stay there, Changbin._ **

“It’s not like we can go anywhere, hyung.”

The comms died and Minho shuddered and wrapped his arms around himself with his knees bent up to press against his chest. He was obviously still shaken from almost being shot in the ballroom.

“This fucking sucks.” He muttered and glared at the floor. “Who would want me dead? I’m a nice person.”

“Some asshole, it seems.” Changbin removed his suit jacket and draped it over Minho’s shoulders. “It doesn’t matter if you’re nice or a complete dick, your highness, someone’s always going to want you dead because you’re the next king of this country.”

Minho chuckled bitterly when Changbin called him a dick followed by a ‘your highness’. Under normal circumstances, that would be grounds for termination of Changbin’s services or if Minho’s was a complete dick as Changbin said, he could have him thrown to jail. Had this been the Joseon era, Minho could have his brother’s personal guard executed at the park for everyone to see.

But no, Changbin was a good friend of Minho’s and he wouldn’t dare break Felix’s heart. Also, Minho wasn’t a dick nor was it the Joseon era so he won’t fire Changbin or have him executed at the people’s park.

So, why? Who? Who would want Minho dead?

“Is this Versace?” Minho broke the silence when he buried his nose into Changbin’s suit jacket.

“It was a birthday gift from Felix.”

“Ah.”

A minute of silence passed between them. They used it to both calm down and steady themselves after that shitstorm in the ballroom.

“Do you think Hyunjin will freak out when he sees what happened to his windows?” Minho asked to break the silence between them.

“Probably.” Changbin shrugged.

They heard footsteps from the other end of the hall and orders being barked by a familiar voice.

“Chan sounds pissed.” Minho muttered. “This should be fun.”

Beside him, Changbin groaned. “Yeah.”

“But hey,” Minho looked at the man beside him before. “Thank you.”

The younger prince’s personal guard stiffened. “It’s my job, your highness.”

But the crown prince shook his head with a sad smile. “Your priority is Felix, not me.”

Changbin fell silent at that then replied softly as he looked away. “Reflexes, I guess.”

On the corner of his eye, black clad guards filed in the hallway and got into position to cover each corner, pistols drawn. They parted made way as a tall man with a bulletproof vest over his crisp black suit stroke towards them with a noticeable frown and worry in his eyes. He held two extra vests for the prince and the guard.

“I don’t want Felix to lose his only brother.” Changbin finally said quietly but Minho heard him loud and clear. The prince smiled at the bodyguard. He was still shaken by everything but there was one sure thing that crossed his thoughts, there wasn’t anyone else he’d approve to be on Felix’s side but Changbin.

“Your highness?” Minho looked up and found himself face to face with Christopher Bang. Chan always made him and Felix feel safe. Not only that, Chan was also a good friend that he can count on. Although, him being overprotective annoyed Minho sometimes but he understood that Chan was only trying to do his duty to the royal family. He was probably one of the sweetest and most caring people Minho knew and he was also competent in his line of work. But Minho knew better than to be fooled by that sweet smile because he’s seen that side of Chan that made him rise to the rank of Second Commander at such a young age.

Chan had a look of worry on his face and Minho just stared at him, still clearly not himself. “Your highness, are you hurt?”

“Shoulder’s probably bruised,” Minho croaked and with that, Chan offered a bottle of water which Minho took. He twisted the cap off and took a big gulp of water but ended up choking on most of it.

“Slowly,” Chan said while he ran a gentle but firm hand down Minho’s back. “we’re in no hurry.”

“I just want to go home, hyung.” Minho said quietly after he finished drinking more slowly and screwed the cap close.

“We’ll get you home safely.” Chan promised. “Can you stand?”

Minho nodded and Chan carefully helped him to his feet. He was amazed that he even had the strength to stand up because his knees felt like jelly. Chan helped him slip on the bullet proof vest and before he placed Changbin’s jacket over his shoulders again.

“This is the worst day ever.”

“You’re alive, Minho,” Chan reminded him helpfully. “that’s a plus side, isn’t it?”

“And Chan-hyung and I can keep our jobs for another day.” Changbin added with a small grin.

Chan rolled his eyes at his junior while a soft and trembling laugh escaped Minho.

*

Felix and Hyunjin burst Minho’s room just as the doctor and the two nurses finished treating Minho’s injuries. It turned out that he had a few shards of glass lodged in his left palm from the broken china when he crashed onto one of the tables. Minho didn’t know he was bleeding until Chan pointed it out in the car. Adrenaline must have been rushing through his veins because he didn’t feel any pain on his hand until the doctor poured disinfectant and iodine on it.

“Hyung!” Felix’s eyes were wide and rimmed with tears. Behind him, Hyunjin’s who was usually composed and graceful, looked disheveled. His longish blond-dyed hair that was always carefully styled with care, stuck out in different directions and the half pony he wore was falling halfway down.

“Are you okay?” Felix quickly made his way to his older brother.

“A bit,” Minho admitted. “I’m still not over it but I will be.” The prince repeated Chan’s words in his mind like a mantra; that at least he was alive.

When Hyunjin came to stand beside Felix, Minho’s gaze switched to him. “Sorry about your window.”

The look that the younger gave him was incredulous. “Why are you apologizing for that? You could’ve died!” He crossed his arms sternly, not caring if it was the crown prince he was talking to. “Don’t you realize that my mom would’ve made me mop up your blood on our floor? Your ghost would be stuck in my house and you would’ve haunted me!”

Minho snorted and rolled his eyes. Classic Hyunjin. “Good. Your distress is my amusement.” He smirked.

Hyunjin scoffed but he smiled and Felix sat on the edge of Minho’s bed to carefully pull his older brother into a hug while he buried his face into Minho’s uninjured shoulder. “I’m just glad you’re alive, hyung.”

“I won’t be here right now if it wasn’t for _your_ guard.” He whispered quietly into his younger brother’s ear so that the nurses nearby didn’t hear. Felix lifted his head, eyes wet with tears, and stared at Minho.

“Really?” Felix whispered. “Is he…is he alright?”

Minho nodded. “Didn’t you go to see him yet?”

The younger prince shook his head, ash blonde hair waving around. “I came to see you first. I’ll visit the security dorms later.”

“Don’t get caught.”

“Since when have I ever been caught?” Felix managed an arrogant smirk through the tears in his eyes. Minho pulled him into a hug and gently combed his fingers through Felix’s hair.

“Thanks for getting Felix out of there, Hyunjin.” The prince locked eyes with Hyunjin who shrugged his shoulder.

“No, problem.” He replied. “I’m just glad you won’t be haunting my house.”

“Disappointing.”

Minho lowered his gaze when he kissed the top of Felix’s head before his younger brother pulled back to avoid straining Minho’s injured shoulder.

*

As expected, the crown prince’s assassination attempt was all over the news the following morning. Reporters camped outside the royal palace gates which prompted Chan and Park Sungjin, Chan’s senior and First Commander in charge of the king’s safety, to tighten security.

Minho’s throbbing shoulder woke him out before the alarm and then the distant clicks of cameras and the white noise of numerous reporters talking registered to him. When Minho opened his eyes, it was still early that the sun wasn’t even up yet. His room was dark except for the flashes of reds and blues from the police cars outside. It was 5:30 AM at least, which he confirmed when he tapped on his phone’s screen. There were also about fifteen unread messages and five missed calls from Kim Seungmin.

Minho’s head dropped back on the pillow and he groaned.

“Why is this happening to me?” He whined quietly. All he wanted was a quiet life but instead, he was cursed with the royal blood that ran through his veins. There was no way that he can go back to sleep now. He almost jumped out of bed when he felt something move under the covers beside him and when Minho reached to turn on the lamp beside his bed post, he saw Felix curled up underneath the comforter.

His brother must have snuck into his room during the night. Minho sighed and pulled the covers over to Felix’s chin before he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Minho’s toes curled at the welcomed warmth of the plush carpet and he took the silk robe that was folded on the bottom of his bed. It hurt when Minho tried to slip it on, so instead, he just draped it over shoulders. Minho quietly left the bed so that he didn’t wake Felix and padded to the window where he gently parted the curtain to peek through the gap. Just as he suspected, past the wide gardens and lawns, there was a sea of reporters outside the towering gates. Guards stood on their posts while some patrolled around the premises. Minho’s room was on the third floor and the grounds were pretty big, so it was difficult to spot where Changbin and Chan were.

Finally, Minho took his phone and scrolled through Seungmin’ s messages. The first one read: **_‘Hyung, are you okay? Are you badly hurt?’_**

Another read; **_‘If you’re not replying to me because you’re dead, I’ll give up being a royal advisor in training and become a scientist so I can raise you back from the dead then I will strangle you myself.’_**

 **_‘Hyung_ ** **_☹_ ** **_’_ **

‘ ** _Nvm, I called Hyunjin and he finally answered too. He said you’re alive and back to ruining his life. Felix isn’t answering his phone either, is he okay?’_**

A small smile twitched on the corners of Minho’s lips. He appreciated that he had friends who cared about him like Hyunjin and Seungmin. Even if he mostly had a lonely childhood, that changed after Felix was born and their parents introduced him to his friends. Even if the primary reason for the introduction is so that they can get along and settle together into the roles that they are set to inherit as the future leaders of South Korea.

 ** _‘I’m coming with my father first thing in the morning.’_** Was the last text in the long chain Seungmin sent.

Tired of the stressful view, Minho turned away from the window when his attention was caught by a knock on his door. It wasn’t loud but it was enough to startle Felix awake and he shot up from the bed to look at the door then to Minho. With careful steps, Minho made his way to the door and pulled it open.

The King and a small entourage that consisted of Sungjin, Chan, and three maids whose names Minho forgot, stood on the hallway outside.

“Father,” Minho’s eyes widened in surprise. He did not expect to see their father this early in the morning. “Good morning.”

Behind him, Felix got up to his feet and stood in full attention. “Good morning, father.”

King Lee Jinhee was well into his late fifties but had a classic handsomeness to him which he passed down to his sons. Whether in casual clothes, ceremonial robes, a suit or his pajamas, the king held a regal air that demanded respect. He did not wear thin gold wire-framed glasses that he usually donned, probably because he, too, just woke up.

The king glanced over his shoulder at the small entourage. “Leave us.”

Chan, Sungjin and the three maids bowed before Sungjin closed the door after Jinhee stepped into Minho’s room. The king visible sighed when they heard the door click shut.

He looked at his eldest son with eyes that told of a long sleepless night. He already had lines underneath his eyes but today, they had dark circles around them too.

“How are you, Minho?” King Jinhee asked.

“I’m alright,” Minho’s throat felt like it was filled with gravel. “My shoulder is bruised and I have some cuts on my hand from the glass,” he paused to look at his bandaged hand. “but nothing that wouldn’t heal within the next week.”

Jinhee nodded gravely and silently made his way towards Minho’s bed to sit down. “And you, Yongbok?”

“I’m okay too, father.” The youngest prince answered. “I don’t have any injuries but I’m not comfortable of leaving the estate yet.”

“That’s understandable.” The king nodded. “The security team has been up all night coordinating with the authorities and the Hwang family about the…incident.”

‘Incident’ and not ‘assassination’. Minho appreciated the way his father chose his words so that it did not bring back the awful memory from yesterday.

“What about you?” Minho sat beside the king on the edge of his bed while Felix settled on Minho’s dresser chair where he faced them. “You look like you barely slept.”

The king merely glanced at Minho and looked away discreetly. He massaged his left knee in a circular motion and that action prompted Felix to speak.

“Is your knee bothering you again?”

Jinhee chuckled. “You brats,” he sighed with a tired smile and in that moment, he wasn’t the king of the empire of South Korea, but Minho and Felix’s dad. “I’m the one who should be worrying about you.”

“Father,” Minho reached for his father’s free hand and slowly rubbed small circles on the back of it. “you’re not young anymore, you know. You should always get enough sleep. You have a staff to help you handle these things.”

“Are you calling me old?” Jinhee arched an eyebrow at Minho who flushed and dipped his head in apology. Felix, on the other hand, clamped his hand over his mouth to suppress his giggles.

“Are you laughing at this old man, Yongbok?”

Felix’s giggle immediately stopped but Jinhee just smiled. “This is nothing an old man can’t handle.”

He reached over to place a firm hand on top of Minho’s head and ruffled his sleep thrown hair a little. Minho felt like the little boy who bounced on his father’s knee while they sat on one of the benches in the garden under the cool spring sunshine. Minho closed his eyes and held back the tears that prickled in his eyes. He almost lost the feeling of Felix’s hugs or the opportunity to tease Hyunjin whenever he got the chance. He almost never heard Chan’s gentle chiding again or Changbin’s loud laughs. He almost never read Seungmin’s bombardment of texts and calls and if Changbin failed to push Minho out of the way, he would never feel the fluttering warmth that came from his father’s simple acts of affection.

“Hyung?”

When Minho opened his eyes at the sound of his name, the tears fell from his eyes and stained his gray sleep shirt.

“Oh, Minho,” His father pulled him into his arms in a tight embrace and Minho buried his face into his shoulder as he sobbed brokenly. Jinhee gently weaved his fingers through Minho’s hair and that made Minho sob harder because it was what their late mother did when she comforted him when he was little. “I almost lost you.” He opened the embrace and stretched out a hand towards Felix who immediately joined his older brother in their father’s arms. “I could’ve lost the both of you.”

Felix pressed himself against Minho and hugged his older brother as the horrors of yesterday sunk into him and he, too, wept. The princes were always under constant pressure to appear strong and perfect in front of the public and the cameras. They always had to lock in their feelings whenever other people watched them and they always had to smile even if they were already bubbling with rage or sadness. Only in private can they show such emotion because even the servants and the staff gossip.

Then the princes pulled away and the king put a hand each on their shoulders. “Listen to me, both of you,” he said with sullenness. “this will not be the last time this will happen. Our family has enemies who want to remove us from the throne. You two should always be careful because sometimes, the ones closest to us are the ones that will hurt us the worst, do you understand?”

Minho and Felix nodded in unison as they wiped their tears and collected themselves.

“Good.” King Jinhee nodded, satisfied that his advice to his sons was very much welcomed. “Now, Minho,” he looked at the his eldest. “It has come to my attention that it was Yongbok’s guard who saved you from that situation.”

“Yes,” Minho was surprised that his voice was already steady despite crying a few minutes ago. “his name is Seo Changbin.”

“It baffles me that your brother has a personal guard while you don’t,” the king frowned. “and _you’re_ the crown prince.”

“I-…” Minho opened his mouth and snapped it close again; his father was right. “I just didn’t see the need for it since I don’t leave the palace all the time unlike Bokkie.” He thought of the excuse. “And when I do, Cha- Commander Bang always arranges an entourage for me.”

“But your entourage is to secure the perimeter. You need someone who can stay by your side at all times where they can get to you before the entourage can.” Jinhee replied. “Especially that you’re going out most of the time to execute your royal duties with the public. The incident yesterday was an eyeopener.”

Minho considered his father’s words and beside him, Felix was quiet but the younger prince knew that their father had a valid point.

“I understand, father.” Minho answered, complacent to his father’s request.

Jinhee nodded, satisfied, then he got up and the two princes followed suit. “I’ve already spoken to Commander Bang about this. He shall oversee the selection and training process for your royal guard.”

“Do I get to choose?” Minho suddenly blurted out and Felix stared at him, wide-eyed.

The king arched a brow in silent question.

“I mean,” Minho struggled to steady his voice. “will I get to choose among the shortlisted candidates?” He asked. “This person will be with me most of the time and I wish to be able to choose who I see fit.”

“Yes, of course,” His father replied, rather confused by the question. “Yongbok was given the opportunity to choose his own personal guard so you may as well.”

“Thank you, father,” Minho bowed his head.

“My son,”

Minho met his father eyes in full attention. “Yes?”

The king gave him a quiet gaze. “This person will be your shield. Choose someone you know you can trust with your life.”

“I understand, father.” Minho nodded and beside him, Felix was quiet with his gaze to the floor. The king’s words obviously hit home for him.

“If this conversation is done, both of you should get dressed so that we can have breakfast. Royal advisor Kim and his son will be joining us.”


	2. Gladiator Match

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a tradition of mine to throw in the second chapter along with the first. So, here you go. Enjoy!

Minho didn’t talk much during breakfast with Royal Advisor Kim and his son, Seungmin. The younger Kim kept throwing glances at the crown prince from across the dining table and Minho was sure that Seungmin was itching to ask him questions about what happened. Their king and his royal advisor spoke about the steps that should be taken to tighten the security around the compound and around the members of the royal family. King Jinhee mentioned that he had told Minho about selecting a personal guard who would be with him all the time.

Someone that constantly followed him; from the moment he got up in the morning to the time when he went to bed at night. There would be someone glued to his side while he hung out with his friends, at charity events or even when he was away for vacation. The thought of it did not sit well with Minho and it started to suffocate him with an invisible hand around his throat. With that, his appetite went down and he that he didn’t want to finish his breakfast anymore. He reached for his coffee cup and drank half of it before setting it back down. The porcelain made a loud and suggestive clink which immediately got the attention of everyone in the room.

The maid assigned to attend to him during his meals quickly offered a white napkin on a silver tray which Minho reached for to wipe his mouth with. He nodded a silent thanks to his attendant as he placed the napkin back.

“Minho?” The king asked as he paused from working his cutlery through his food. “Are you finished already?”

“Yes.” Minho nodded the maid behind him immediately pulled back his chair the at the exact same time that he stood up. “I’m going to get some air then rest up after I go through my work for the day.”

Royal advisor Kim, who let the king speak first, said; “Your highness, I think it’s best that you rest for today. Surely, you haven’t recovered from the recent events yet.”

“I appreciate the concern, Advisor Kim, but usually the backlog is worse so I want to get everything out of the way as soon as possible.” Minho replied curtly. “Please don’t worry about me too much.”

“I can help his royal highness with his work,” Seungmin suddenly spoke up but then immediately clamped his mouth shut. The tips of his ears turned red when he realized that he spoke out of turn. He quickly bowed his head in apology. “My apologies.”

Minho stared at Seungmin in surprise and was about to speak when Felix cut in.

“I can help too.” He smiled. “I don’t have anything planned for today.”

“I thought you needed to film for your baking vlog?” Minho asked.

“Eh,” The younger prince shrugged. “it’s fine. If my followers love me, they can wait.”

King Jinhee chuckled. “Your son is dedicated as always, Advisor Kim.”

“I am very proud of him, your majesty.” Advisor Kim dipped his head with gratitude and Seungmin followed suit and bowed at the compliment. Minho tried not to snort at the formality because he knew the real Seungmin and he’s seen him in ridiculous situations before. He appreciate the help, though.

Minho bowed to the king and took his leave and his two juniors followed suit.

*  
  


“Does this mean I owe you a favor?” Minho broke the silence when the three of them stepped out into the cool morning air in the palace’s backyard. The back part of the estate was wider compared to the front with towering concrete walls so they were safe from prying eyes. There were also residential buildings within the compound which housed the royal staff since those that were employed in the royal estate were required to live within the vicinity. The whole estate was like a tiny city within the heart of Seoul and it was like its own little world.

“It means you’re buying food this weekend, hyung.” Seungmin smiled innocently but Minho knew better than to fall for that. Kim Seungmin, tame and adorable as he may look, was a mastermind and borderline evil genius. He had revised policies and found solutions to problems Minho thought were hopeless. Seungmin also helped him and Felix get out of trouble many times since they were younger. A ten year old Seungmin once saved Minho and Felix from being grounded for a whole month with a ridiculous excuse that for some reason, their parents bought. Until now, Minho still gets impressed whenever he remembered the urn incident.

“Food for what?”

“For the sleepover, of course.” Felix piped up. “Did you forget already? You said we’re going to have a royal slumber party when Hyunjin-hyung returns from his overseas trip!”

“I said that?” Minho frowned.

Seungmin rolled his eyes. “And this is why you need me in your life, hyung.”

The crown prince scoffed. “I need a royal advisor not a personal assistant to remind me of my schedule. That’s already Tzuyu’s job.” He paused. “But seriously, I said that? You’re not coming up with this on the spot?”

Felix and Seungmin looked at each other with disappointment.

“I’m sorry, he’s old like that.” Felix sighed and the other patted him on the shoulder in an act of sympathy.

“Hey,” Minho glared. “ _I’m_ right here.”

The younger prince flashed him his trademark sunshine smile. “So, fried chicken and pizza, then?” Felix added helpfully. “Five boxes each.”

“Can’t you ask the cooks to make something instead?” Minho sighed while he walked down white gravel path in one of the gardens while his brother and his friend matched his pace. “Don’t we employ chefs for that? You can bake something too.”

“This five star Michelin pastry chef will get tired if he bakes for six people then I won’t be able to help you with your boring crown prince crap.” Felix pouted while he touched the white petal of one of the gardenia flowers they passed by.

“Six people?” Minho arched a questioning brow as he glanced at his brother.

“You, me, Seungminnie, Hyunjin and the hyungs.” Felix counted each with his slender fingers. “Besides, the royal chefs don’t let us eat the fun stuff.”

“You mean Chan and your boyfriend?”

“Would you _shut up_?!” Felix hissed and his eyes darted from side to side, worried that someone might hear. It amused Minho but he wouldn’t joke about it openly if he knew they weren’t alone. “I mean, they’re for protection, yeah? Bad guys might storm in, y’know?”

“What about father?” Minho followed up the question while he tried to look into every loophole.

“My dad said that the king will be away on trip to discuss a trade so they’ll both be gone.” Seungmin said this time while he made sure Minho didn’t hurt his shoulder when he sat down on the garden bench underneath a gingko tree. As expected, Seungmin was two steps ahead.

When Minho stayed silent as if he was contemplating, Felix, who sat beside him, playfully nudged his uninjured shoulder. “Hey, hyung, it’ll be a good time.” He said. “After everything that’s happened lately, it’ll be good to unwind with friends.”

“That’ right, hyung,” Seungmin said this time while he studied the gingko leaf that he spun between his thumb and forefinger. “I’ll help you finish your work today and tomorrow so that you’ll be free on the weekend.”

Well, what the heck? These brats do have a point.

“Fine.”

Felix and Seungmin high fived.

*

It was not fine.

Well, not by the king’s standards or any other senior staff in the estate.

They were settled in the home theater and Hyunjin and Seungmin were arguing which movie they should watch. Seungmin wanted to watch action CGI while Hyunjin wanted to watch horror which was weird because Hyunjin was a bit of a coward when it came to horror movies. Changbin and Felix had claimed a loveseat in the corner and were on a verge of a make-out session with how hard they were flirting with each other while Chan fiddling around with his tablet. The royal guards were dressed comfortably in jeans, shirts, and hoodies since Chan was off that day and Changbin was already off the clock.

“Are you working?” Minho asked after he set down the five boxes of pizza one of the house staffs brought over from the delivery guy at the gate. Chan looked up from his tablet and his cheeks flushed from being caught.

“N-No?” Chan cleared his throat and swiped on the screen to minimize the files he was reading. Minho caught a glimpse of what Chan was doing and saw a profile of a guy he’s never seen before. He must have been reviewing profiles of the candidates to be Minho’s guard before Chan submitted a short list for him to choose from.

“Isn’t it your day off?” Minho said while he opened the pizza boxes one by one and laid them beside each other.

“Well, yeah,” Chan replied and placed his tablet down and helped Minho with laying out the food. “but it’s not much. It’s just like… four or five profile?”

Minho turned to look at him and arched an elegant brow in silent question. Chan’s shoulders sagged like he curled into himself under Minho’s intense stare the way a little kid would when caught doing something he shouldn’t be doing.

“Okay, maybe about seven.”

The crown prince slightly cocked his head to the side.

“Fine, twelve profiles.” The older admitted.

“Was I that merciless?” Minho sighed. Chan had submitted several shortlisted candidates to him since the day after the attempt on his life and he had rejected all of them. It made Minho sigh. Maybe he was being too picky and making Chan’s life difficult.

“Hyung,” Minho said after he ignored the food he was laying out. He reached over to place a hand on Chan’s shoulder. “I appreciate everything you do for us… for me.” He offered a small smile. “I’ll decide on a guard when I think the right one comes along so please don’t overwork yourself. You’re at a party,” he paused and looked at the chaos that was the theater room. “Well, if you even call _this_ a party.” he snickered.

“I’ve definitely been to worse ones back home.” Chan chuckled.

“Australia?”

“Yep.”

Chan and Minho put out paper plates and cups then they refilled the ice box in the pantry. The commotion seemed to have died down when Seungmin and Hyunjin reached a truce and agreed that Zootopia will be the first movie of the night.

“Pizza’s getting cold,” Minho called out to his companions. “Come get your share before Changbin eats everything.”

“Hey!” Changbin protested. “Who said I’d do that?”

“Felix did.” Minho smirked and Changbin gaped in disbelief while Felix burst out into laughter beside him while he smacked his boyfriend’s arm.

*

They ended up watching three consecutive movies during the first half of the night. At midnight, Changbin brought out a few beers and bottles of soju. Minho ended up being teased because he couldn’t get drunk since he was still taking pain meds for his shoulder. Everyone got wasted in the middle of the fourth movie and by the time the credits rolled, everyone was asleep. Hyunjin exhausted himself from crying throughout the movie and he was curled up in a nest of blankets on the carpeted floor. Seungmin occupied one the theater seats with his socked feet propped up on the backrest of the chair in front of him. Felix and Changbin were cuddled together and asleep on the couch like sardines in a can. Chan took up the whole couch and laid facing the backrest like a dead log.

The only one awake was Minho. In all honesty, their little party wasn’t all that bad and when looked at the time on his phone, he saw that it was almost two in the morning. He wasn’t tired at all so with nothing better to do in a room full of drunk people, Minho got up and started to tidy up. He might be the crown prince and the heir to the throne but he’s not afraid to get his hands a little dirty. A dirty room pissed him off more than dirty hands. He spent the next ten minutes picking cups and dirty plates while walking around soundlessly as a cat. For some reason, stuff ended up on almost every surface of the mini theater.

He was careful not to make any sound so that he didn’t wake his companions up. Minho let them get their sleep because he wasn’t going to envy them when they woke up later with an exception to Chan because his hyung crashed due to exhaustion instead of alcohol. In the pantry, Minho finished tidying up the marble counter and tying the garbage bag when his phone went off with a call.

Frowning, Minho fished out his phone from his hoodie pocket. Who the hell would be calling in this unholy hour?

**INCOMING CALL: Innie**

“Hello, Jeongin?” Minho did not hesitate to pick up the call of the teenager who he saw like his own brother to look after. Yang Jeongin’s and the royal family had ties with each other since Jeongin’s mother was childhood friends with Minho’s. The twenty-year-old was five years Minho’s junior but for Minho, Jeongin would always be that happy little kid that clung onto him when he got scared.

 ** _“H-Hyung?”_** Came a soft hiccup of a reply and Minho’s blood ran cold in his veins. Jeongin sounded like he was on the verge of tears. **_“You’re still awake?”_**

“Yeah, I am.” Minho replied and his tone turned serious and concerned. “What’s wrong?”

Jeongin was quiet for a few seconds and Minho heard the low thud of pounding club music and the white noise of people yelling and cheering.

 ** _“Uhm, can you,”_** Jeongin sounded hesitant at first but when Minho heard a loud banging sound, he continued quickly, panicked. **_“I know this is a lot to ask especially with what happened to you in the news, but can you please pick me up?”_**

“Where are you?” Minho was already making his way out of the pantry.

**_“Club MIROH.”_ **

Minho paused and every single alarm in his head went off. “Isn’t that an underground fight club for sick and sadistic rich people?” he fought to keep his voice down. Hyunjin muffled something in his sleep but didn’t wake up. However, the slight rise of his voice was enough to wake Chan up; the elder had always been a light sleeper.

Their eyes met and Chan frowned at him with a silent question as to who Minho was talking to. When he mouthed _‘Jeongin’_ , Chan’s eyes went wide with concern.

 ** _“Y-yes,”_** Jeongin answered from the other end of the line. **_“I promise that I will explain later. I just really need to get out of here but the people I came with left me alone. It’s really late at night and I’m scared to walk outside and hail a cab.”_**

A string of profanities left Minho’s lips. “Where in the club are you?”

**_“In the bathroom. Third stall.”_ **

“I’m on my way.”

 ** _“Okay, hyung, thank you.”_** The ‘you’ in Jeongin’s reply came out thick as if the dam already broke and he was crying.

After the call dropped, Minho looked at Chan and motioned towards the door. Chan ran after him and almost tripped when he jammed his feet into his slippers. At the hallway where Minho was sure that the guys in the home theater couldn’t hear them, Minho went straight to the point.

“Innie needs our help. Can you come with me?”

“Sure, but what happened?”

Minho reached to massage he bridge of his nose because of the sudden situation. “For some reason, he’s in Club MIROH.”

Chan’s mouth fell open into a gape. “You mean that underground fight club for sick and sadistic-“

“Yes, that one.” Minho was quick to cut him off and proceeded to tell Chan what Jeongin told him. He’s made up his mind that he’ll go pick up Jeongin from the club.

“Let me call for back up then,” Chan pulled out his work phone but Minho quickly shook his head.

“No,” said the crown prince. “we’re doing this quietly. If you bring more people along, that might bring attention to us and Jeongin. I don’t want the press to hound him too. I’m not going to put him through that bullshit.”

The elder just looked at him like he grew horns on his face. “Minho, someone tried to kill you the other day!” Chan hissed. “Are you crazy?”

Minho considered it and wondered if Seungmin was rubbing off on him. Maybe he was.

“That’s because the person who wanted me dead knew where I was going to be!” Minho reasoned directly to the point. He was not going to waste time and argue here with Chan while Jeongin hid in the bathroom of a dirty fight club, terrified.

“This is unexpected and no one will recognize us.” Minho added. “One of Club MIROH’s charms is anonymity, right? I remember someone telling me that people who go there wear masks because that place if full of famous people. It would be a scandal if they’re found in a place like that.

Chan considered that and Minho felt smug victory when the elder just sighed. “We have to get back in two hours before someone notices that we’re gone.”

“We can do it in one.” Minho muttered as he entered his room without noticing that Chan disappeared on they way there.

He made his way as fast as he could to his room to wear shoes and get his cardholder and keys. After he slipped on the first pair of sneakers he got his hands on and wrapped a thick scarf that covered the half of his face, Minho exited his room to find Chan leaning on one of the marble hallway pillars, a gun in hand. Minho felt his stomach drop when he saw the weapon but Chan didn’t notice the way Minho’s face paled because he was busy checking if the gun had a full magazine and that the safety was on. Only when he slid the pistol in a hidden holster on the small of his back covered by his black hoodie did he notice the prince. Chan also traded the slippers he wore earlier to what looked like combat boots.

“Oh, sorry,” Chan looked concerned.

“That was fast.” Minho forced out but the words were dry. Guns still didn’t sit well with him after what happened a few days ago. He knew that he’ll get over but right now, the memory was still as sore as his bruised shoulder.

“There are strategically hidden compartments around the house to store weapons so that the guards can easily arm themselves or get more ammunition and supplies in case of an emergency.” Chan explained simply. “It would take too much time if I went back to the dorm to get my stuff.”

Minho nodded. “Good enough, let’s go.”

*

Despite Chan’s complaints, Minho insisted on driving and pulled the ‘It’s my car’ excuse. It ticked Minho off that people still wanted to do things for him, even simple things like driving. To add the fact that this was a mission to retrieve Jeongin made it exciting for Minho so he refused to let Chan drive his i30N.

They parked at a lot across the street from the club and Minho turned off the engine while Chan pulled out binoculars set on night mode. Minho observed on his own while he sat behind the steering wheel; Club MIROH was a structure of steel and black glass. He’s seen this place during the day and it looked like an office building to the untrained eye because the glass windows reflected off light and made them look like mirrors. At night, the structure looked like a black box illuminated by the lamp posts outside. The door was guarded by broad shouldered bouncers who wore black on black suits that were stretched by their thick arms.

“If we played it cool and waltz in there like we owned the place, we’d most likely get dragged out by the neck.”

Chan hummed in agreement. Minho spotted two patrons walk up to the bouncers but couldn’t really see what they did for them to be let in.

“It looks like entry is by invitation only.” Chan lowered the binoculars. “The woman showed the guard her phone and one of the guards ran a scan on it so there must be a code or something.” He Looked at Minho with a frown while he stared at the crown prince’s fluffy red hoodie and the thick scarf that covered half of his face. “That and we’re underdressed.”

Minho scoffed. “Excuse me? This fluffy hoodie is _expensive_.”

“The patrons who went in were dressed formally, your highness.” Chan said.

Minho was quiet for a moment while he thought of a plan. He glared at the digital numbers on the dashboard and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “Wait a second,” Minho perked up. “Could you check the trunk?” At the same time, he pushed a button on the steering wheel and the back trunk popped open. “Hyunjin and Felix borrowed my car last week when they went out to film a vlog. Let’s hope they left their stuff back there.”

With a nod, Chan got out of the car and went to the back to check the contents of the trunk. Minho made use of his time and dialed a number on his contacts list labeled as ‘JK’.

 ** _“Your highness,”_** Came a cheerful voice on the other line even before Minho could say hello. **_“To what do I owe the pleasure?”_**

“Hi, hyung,” Minho spoke while he watched the club’s entrance. A single patron walked up to the bouncers this time and showed them his phone. “I need your help with something.”

 ** _“_** **Oh? Interesting.”** JK replied. **_“What is it?”_**

“Can you get me into Club MIROH?”

JK was quiet on the other line as if Minho’s question caught him off guard. **_“I didn’t know you were into those kinds of places.”_**

Minho blew up a sigh. “I can assure you that I’m not.” He said. “It’s not what you think. I just need to help out someone.”

 ** _“Ah,”_** Minho could hear the smile in JK’s tone. **_“What kind of amenities do you want?”_**

“I just need to get in. I don’t plan on staying.”

**_“Ticket for one?”_ **

“Two.” Minho clarified and he felt his face heat up when JK chuckled on the other end of the line. “ _Hyung._ ” It came out as a whine. “It’s not like _that_!”

 ** _“I didn’t even say anything! Your sex life is not my business.”_** JK laughed when Minho made a panicked high pitched noise.

**_“Aaand, done! Now two poor souls have lost their tickets in and you, my awesome princely friend, have gained them.”_ **

“You _stole_ it from someone’s account?” Minho felt his stomach drop in both surprise and guilt.

 ** _“Excuse me,”_** JK scoffed. **_“I preferred the term ‘hacked’. I sent an encrypted link to the QR code so that it can’t be traced back to you.”_**

“Thank you, hyung, I’ll send the payment later.”

 ** _“Got it.”_** JK’s voice held a grin. ** _“Have fun, you two.”_**

“Oh, fuck off.”

JK burst out laughing on the other line and Minho dropped the call. Sure enough, there was a notification for an email and he tapped on it to access the encrypted link. He felt his heart stop for a moment when his screen went black and a single gold colored QR code appeared with a letter M written in cursive in the middle.

“We’re in luck!”

Minho jumped in his seat when Chan suddenly got back in the passenger side. He was already wearing white suit jacket over a black v-neck shirt and a single silver chain to adorn his neck. Chan pulled off the clubbing look well. He also handed Minho a black lace cat mask that covered his upper face while Chan sported steel gray wolf half mask of a similar fashion. Seriously, Felix and Hyunjin get all the weird ideas all in the name of social media fame.

“Hyunjin’s stuff fits fine as long as I don’t button it up.” Chan flashed Minho a quick smile and handed him a denim jacket which belonged to his brother. “This was the other only thing I could find that didn’t smell funny.”

“What are those kids vlogging about?” Minho scowled. He pushed back the driver’s seat a bit and pulled off his hoodie before he slipped on Felix’s jacket. It smelled like fruit and there were paint stains on the cuffs of the sleeves. Maybe no one will notice it in the dim lights or if Minho can pass it off as the jacket’s design. It didn’t really matter right now, though, because getting Jeongin was his priority.

“No idea.” Chan shrugged then noticed Minho’s phone screen. “What’s that?”

“Our ticket way in.”

“How did you get that?”

The crown prince gave his friend a slow Cheshire cat smirk. “I’m the crown prince, Chan. Don’t you think I have my ways?”

That made Chan laugh nervously. “Sometimes,” he said. “it scares me to know that you’re the next king.”

Minho merely chuckled darkly.

*

Chan and Minho got into Club MIROH without any issues. Minho would be lying if he said that he wasn’t nervous because, well, the bouncers looked very intimidating and Minho wouldn’t be surprised to know if one of them had beaten someone’s face into a pulp before. The guy on the left gave them a once-over, probably confused at their simple outfits.

“Do you even have passes?” he grunted.

Minho showed the guard his phone and the huge guy scanned it with a sleek black device with a small screen. When it beeped and the screen flashed with a gold light, the bouncer stepped back and dipped his head in apology. Apparently, JK outdid himself and Minho’s expectations because his hacker friend was able to score them VIP passes.

“Welcome,” the second bouncer said as he unclipped the velvet black rope and opened the red doors lined with gold studs. “please enjoy your stay.”

Minho gave a single nod of acknowledgement and walked past the guards with this chin held up in quiet arrogance. Chan followed close behind, a strong a quiet presence that assured Minho that he was in capable hands. The doors closed beside them and they walked down the dimly lit hallway. The walls were lined with gold curtains tied by silver ropes and loud music pounded dully on the other side. When they were sure that they were alone, Minho let out a long sigh followed by a quivering laugh of disbelief.

“You’re amazing, Minho!” Chan roughly patted Minho on the back and the crown prince stumbled a step forward. He didn’t mind though because he liked the adrenaline that rushed through his veins right now. It was exciting to play the rebel in the family for once. “How did you pull that off?”

“Just think that you can buy them, their friends and this club.” Minho playfully shoved on Chan’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s find Jeongin.”

They pushed through the doors that led to the main hall and Minho was slapped by the biggest culture shock he had so far in his twenty five years of existence. There were cages that hung on the ceiling with three thick chains and the people that danced inside were naked except for jeweled nipple tape and flesh colored g-string thongs. They were met by a sea of sweaty bodies dancing with each other on a wide dancefloor while a bass heavy song blasted on the surround sound speakers. The DJ on the elevated booth that jumped around with the song that he played wore a helmet that lit up with neon emojis. Everyone wore masks; the bouncers outside, the servers, the dancers in the suspended cages, the bar tenders, and lastly, the club goers. Everyone was anonymous. You can drop on your knees in the middle of the dancefloor to suck someone’s dick and no one’s going to know who you are.

“Well, what do you think?” Chan asked over the loud noise of the club and Minho turned to look at him but his expression was unreadable behind his mask. He moved his mouth but Chan couldn’t hear and instead shouted over the music; “WHAT DID YOU SAY?”

“I SAID I’LL FUCKING KILL JEONGIN’S FRIENDS FOR DRAGGING HIM TO A PLACE LIKE THIS!”

“OH, OKAY, THEN!”

Minho rolled his eyes and shook his head before he dragged Chan to the outskirts of the rooms where they can avoid the club dancers. It was amazing to know that there were probably people here that Minho knew. People who appeared innocent during the day but turned into a different person at night. What if the face people had during the day are masks and their true selves were the ones that appeared in here while they were anonymous? Minho must be out of his mind for being philosophical in a club.

They exited at the side to a wide hallway lined with white plaster pillars stark against black walls. Minho pulled out his phone and dialed Jeongin’s number.

 ** _“Hyung?!”_** Jeongin hissed quietly into the receiver. **_“Are you here?”_**

“Yeah, I’m with Chan.” Minho replied. “Were at a black hallway with pillars. Where are you?”

 ** _“O-Oh!”_** The youngest perked up. **_“I’m nearby!”_**

“Can you come out?”

Jeongin went quiet. **_“Well, no,”_** he said, sounding hesitant. **_“I’m a bit scared…I think someone’s having sex outside my stall. They might get angry at me if I walk out of here.”_**

“As in outside?”

**_“On the sink, yeah.”_ **

Minho made an irritated sound. “There are backrooms for that, for the love of-” He shook his head and followed the sign that pointed to where the bathroom was. “We’re outside.”

He glanced at Chan then motioned at the door. “Please?”

Chan shrugged and roughly pushed the door opened, startling the masked couple that were caught in the act of fucking, wide-eyed.

“’Evening.” Minho said, deadpanned, and at the sound of his voice, Jeongin burst out of the middle stall. He wore a half-jeweled fox mask but Minho was sure that it was their precious Innie.

“Hyung!”

“Come on,” Chan motioned for the younger to join them, voice hard and protective. “let’s go.”

In a beat, Jeongin was beside Chan and he kept his head bent low and his eyes on the floor so that he didn’t have to see that strangers who were locked on each other dick-to-ass on the sink.

“Wanna join?” The guy who wore a Vendetta mask asked with a tilt of his head, asked, he relentlessly continued to fuck his partner bent over on the sink.

Minho felt his skin crawl at the sound of that. Why the nerve of this little-!

“No, thanks. We’re good.” Minho was amazed that he was able to keep his voice even and he immediately turned his back and strode out without looking back and Chan and Jeongin followed him out.

While they walked back the way they came from with Minho in the lead, Jeongin piped up from the back where he walked beside Chan.

“Minho-hyung, I know a shortcut!”

The crown prince stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the youngest in his little group. “Have you been to this place many times before to know a shortcut?”

“Wha-?” Jeongin’s eyes turned wide behind his mask. “No, it’s my first time here! It’s just, we can leave the club faster if we took the backdoor.”

“Okay?” Chan spoke this time. “And where’s the backdoor?”

“We have to cross the arena but it’s more tolerable there than the dancefloor.” Jeongin explained.

Oh, right, this was also a fight club.

“Fine, lead the way. I just want to go home.” Minho sighed and gave the reigns of their little entourage to Jeongin.

“You can count on me, hyung!” Jeongin grinned brightly, his braces catching the light. Minho and Chan followed the youngest past two gray doors and like the first room, the hot air punched Minho on the gut. But unlike the first room that reeked of sweat and sex, this one reeked of sweat and blood.

“Easy there, Minho.” Chan’s strong arm locked around his waist in a tight grip as the older pressed Minho against him for balance and that was when the crown prince realized that he lost his balance from the heavy atmosphere that overwhelmed him.

“Oh my god.” Jeongin screeched over the shouting audience. “I swear this was empty an hour ago!”

“Well, it’s full now.” Chan said. “Let’s just get out of here.”

Their attention was caught when a loud shout came from the audience and they couldn’t help but follow the direction of the cause. In the middle was a fight ring enclosed in a huge metal cage. It reminded Minho of those wrestling shows he used to watch with Felix late at night during the weekends when they were little.

However, those on TV were scripted, this one was not.

Two men faced each other in the ring, unmasked unlike the sadistic audience that cheered for them to finish each other off. Their fists were wrapped in thick strips of cloth and stained brown with the other’s blood. The burly man was huge as a bear and a foreigner. He was shirtless and his limbs were thick and shining with sweat. Tattoos were stretched over his muscles as they flexed with every punch he threw at his opponent.

The other guy was smaller, way smaller and Korean from what Minho could tell. He wasn’t buff but he was lean and he moved fast with quick and sure punches on places his opponent found hard to counter because of his size. He moved smart too and he dodged attacks like he had seen that they were coming at him just a split second before. His loose, drenched tank top hugged the hard and chiseled plains of his body while the neckline was stained with blood from his bleeding nose and split lip.

The bigger man threw a powerful punch at his opponent and the other reeled back and gave a shout of pain when his back hit the iron cage. The crowd went wild when the smaller guy struggled back to his feet. His step faltered once but regained his balance when he took a defensive stance, refusing to give up.

That was when Minho saw his eyes; bright with a flame that told that he would go down fighting facing an opponent who was obviously much better than him. It was win or die.

A strange idea slammed into Minho’s mind but remained trapped in there with doubt.

“We have a sponsorship!” The announcer exclaimed into the mic. A masked guy, probably one of the ring attendants, slid something after he quickly opened the side door of the cage and slammed it shut again. The foreigner grinned sickly and picked up the item given to him. Minho’s eyes widened in panic when he saw that it was an iron pipe.

“What the fucking hell?” Minho demanded and even Chan was startled by the crisp profanity from the crown prince. He jabbed a finger towards the fight ring. “That’s not fair!”

“It’s not but it’s how sponsorships works.” Chan explained, his eyes darting between the ring and the crown prince.

“Explain it to me!” Even Minho was surprised by the things that have been coming out of his mouth tonight.

“In fight clubs, you can sponsor your favored fighter with a blunt weapon to gain advantage over their opponent.” Chan made his explanation concise and direct to the point. “If your opponent gets a sponsorship while you don’t, there’s nothing you can do. You either outsmart them or you go down fighting. You either yield or get beaten into a pulp. It’s called a Gladiator match.”

Beside him, Jeongin’s mouth gaped open. “But that can kill them!”

“If the smaller guy is lucky, they’ll live.” Chan replied. Then, he shook his head. “If not, well, there’s nothing we can do.”

The crowd went wild when the foreigner managed to land his iron pipe on the smaller guy’s back and the other fell on the dirty canvas floor of the ring with a loud thud and a cry of pain. The bigger guy raised his pipe up and gave a mocking laugh while he prowled around the ring arrogantly, soliciting more cheers from the crowd. Minho gritted his teeth in anger and the moment a ring attended passed by them, he grabbed him by the arm and yanked him back.

“You!” Minho jabbed a finger at the guy’s chest. “How do I sponsor the other guy?!”

Beside him, Chan protested in alarm while Jeongin cheered.

“Oh, you want to sponsor the little guy? J.One has never won a match, wouldn’t want someone cute like you to waste your cash.” The attended flashed him a pearly white smile which Minho found annoying. If he was that kind of person, he would’ve decked this guy on the mouth.

But then, the guy yelped when Chan grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him forward.

“He said,” He growled out each word threateningly, “he wanted to sponsor. You either tell him or _I’ll make you._ ” Minho and Jeongin stared at this side of Chan that they almost never saw but terrified them whenever they did.

“R-Right,” The guy quickly pulled out a scanner device. “just select a weapon in the options given and swipe your cash card and you’re good to go. We’ll take care of the rest.”

Minho took the device from the attended and scowled at the really shitty options; either they want the poor guy to lose (or die) or have him make a fool out himself. Minho selected the best option he that he thought would help the guy and swiped his cash card that traced back to a fake name.

The device beeped after the transaction was complete just as the foreigner had gone after the smaller guy again.

“What’s this?” The announcer said, bewildered and the crowd’s cheers died into a murmur of disbelief. “A sponsorship, ladies and gentlemen! Kind thanks to the generous individual for giving the underdog a fighting chance!”

“This is a load of crap.” Jeongin muttered. “It’s a mockery.”

“Yeah,” Chan obviously wasn’t enjoying this. He turned to Minho who was focused on the ring. “Minho, we should leave.”

“Wait.” Minho’s tone was hard. “I want to see this.”

“Minho,”

“I want to see if he’ll get the chance I bought for him.” It wasn’t a request, it was an order. Chan gave a single nod and held his ground.

They were at the far back of the crowd and Minho couldn’t see his fighter who was ducked low on the floor. His blood froze when the foreigner decided to end his glory walk and finish the smaller guy. There were gasps from the crowd when he raised his pipe for the final blow. J.One, the attended had called him, made a couple of dodges and one close call on the head before an attendant appeared on the side of the ring.

“GET UP!” Minho shouted on the top of his lungs. “PLEASE, GET UP!!”

The outburst from the crown prince shocked Chan and Jeongin. Members of the audience at the back row near them turned to look at him in bewilderment. Minho was breathing hard and like what happened a few days ago, the world around him slowed down and he stood there, suspended in time with his mind running a thousand miles per hour while his eyes couldn’t keep up.

“What a comeback!” The announcer cried out in surprise and the world resumed its speed. J.One suddenly appears in Minho’s vision as he jumped out from the sea of people from where he was on the floor. The pipe was brought down again and he smoothly moved his body to the side to dodge it. Minho saw something on the fighter’s right fist catch the light and realized that he was wearing the brass knuckles Minho sponsored for him. J.One appeared from below then to the side towards an opening on his opponent’s head. While the foreigner still both his arms down from swinging down the pipe, J.One raised his fist with the brass knuckles and brought it down on the side of the other’s head as hard as he could.

The whole room stopped. Minho stared and the crowd fell silent as J.One landed nimbly on his feet and jumped back to avoid his towering opponent as he fell face first to the ring floor, unconscious.

“Wow.” Minho’s lips silently formed the word and his fighter slowly lifted his head from staring own his fallen opponent to turn to the direction where Minho stood. For the first time, their eyes met and Minho felt the other’s eyes see through the mask…

See through him.

That had to be the longest five seconds of Minho’s life and when J.One flashed him a smug grin, Minho felt his heart slam painfully against his rib cage. Only when his lungs cried out for air did he realize that he was holding his breath.

The world resumed when the crowds broke into loud cheers and Chan dragged him away.

“Minho,” Came Chan’s firm voice in his ear but Minho’s eyes was still glued to the sole fighter standing in the middle of the ring. “we _really_ have to go. Changbin called me and Felix is freaking out because you aren’t picking up his calls.”

Forcing himself to look away and leave had proven difficult for Minho. The crazy idea he had earlier now screamed louder in his mind like powerful mantra. But still, Minho said nothing. When the cool early morning air hit his face after they stepped outside, Minho looked up at the starless sky of Seoul and wondered what the fuck just happened in there.


	3. Choices and Initiatives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this while I'm at work. Please don't tell my boss lol. I love Lee Dongwook, okay? Been watching him since I was in school :)))) Anyway, please enjoy!

The light was on when Minho, Chan, and Jeongin walked inside palace’s backdoor. They headed to one of the kitchens commonly used by the royal family and their guests. The scent of breakfast being cooked wafted through the hallway which Minho found strange since the staff don’t start preparing the meals until five thirty in the morning. When they walked into the kitchen, they found seven plates of pancakes, a plate of bacon, freshly cooked rice and a huge bowl of scrambled eggs topped with roasted seaweed. Felix was by the stove with the pan, frying some spam while Changbin was washing fruit to be peeled by Hyunjin who already filled up a bowl of strawberries while Seungmin was working on the espresso machine, brewing coffee.

“Aren’t you guys hung over?”

At the sound of Minho’s voice, four pairs of bloodshot eyes immediately turned to him.

“Hyung!” Felix cried out and abandoned the spam he was frying. Changbin immediately took over so that the food didn’t burn.

“Whoah, wait…shoulder, shoulder!” Minho took a step back and held up his hands to stop Felix before his younger brother could hug him tightly but that didn’t stop the other who proceeded to hug Minho on his uninjured side.

“Where were you?!” Felix demanded.

“Seungmin woke up and saw that you guys were gone.” Hyunjin crossed his arms over his chest after he put down the knife that he used to cut up strawberries.

“We had to bail Jeongin out of jail.” Minho answered, deadpanned. Beside him, Jeongin gaped in disbelief.

“Hyung!” The youngest protested.

“Is this true?!” Seungmin exclaimed, eyes-wide while he stared at Jeongin. “Did you kill someone?!”

“What? No!” Jeongin wildly shook his head and Minho snorted in amusement. “Why would I kill someone?”

“You’re suspicious. You did try to kill me once by shoving a cat to my face.” Hyunjin shook his head dramatically while he brought the incident from a few years go.

“I didn’t know you were allergic to cats back then!” Jeongin immediately countered.

“No, Innie fortunately didn’t kill anyone.” Chan replied this time. “He called Minho to come pick him up from Club MIROH and I came along to help.”

“Club MIROH?!” Changbin looked horrified at that. “You mean that underground fight club for the sick, sadistic-…”

“Rich people? Yes.” Minho quickly finished Changbin’s statement. Apparently, Club MIROH had the same description for everyone and after what Minho experience earlier, they were right. He reached up to ruffle the top of Felix’s head. “We borrowed your clothes. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” Felix shook his head with a relieved smile.

“Yeah, you can keep it.” Hyunjin shrugged. “I have like, three similar ones.”

“It’s kind of small on me but thanks, I guess?” It came out more like an unsure question from Chan but the eldest smiled.

Seungmin walked up to them with a tray of freshly brewed coffee and he set it down on the island counter. “So, care to explain how you ended up in a place like that, Jeongin?” he frowned.

“That’s right,” Chan said. “you promised you’d explain.”

Jeongin looked at his friends with wide eyes then lowered his head in shame while his fists clenched and unclenched anxiously over his lap. He took a seat on one of the stools and took a mug from the tray but did not try to drink just yet.

“Well,” he sighed. “since I already turned twenty, some of my classmates thought it was a good idea to go to a club and celebrate. I thought that we were just going to get some drinks and dance but then they brought me _there_ , instead.”

“Didn’t you know what Club MIROH was?” Hyunjin asked when he took his own mug from the tray but Jeongin just shook his head.

“If I knew, I never would have agreed to it.”

“That’s surprising.” Changbin placed a plate of spam Felix had been cooking along with the other food that was prepared. “I thought Club MIROH is Seoul’s open secret? Every body knows that place but don’t really talk about it, you know?”

“Well, not everyone, it seems.” Felix glanced at Jeongin before he walked to one of the kitchen drawers to get some chopsticks. “It doesn’t matter though, as long as Innie’s safe and out of there.”

The kitchen was quiet for a moment and the only sound that pierced through the silence was the consecutive clicks of the stoves when Changbin turned the heat off after he took the last batch of spam from the pan. He placed the slices of fried spam on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb the oil.

“Who are these classmates?” Seungmin asked this time, his tone clearly unamused and Jeongin’s head quickly snapped towards his direction.

“Why do you look like I’m going to do something bad to them?” Seungmin asked when Jeongin gave him a look of hesitation.

“Won’t you?” Jeongin asked.

“No. Why would I?”

Minho watched the two argue. He knew that Seungmin was protective of Jeongin and took responsibility of looking out for the youngest. But he also knew that Seungmin liked to work in the shadows whenever he planned something that Jeongin wouldn’t particularly be happy about.

“Remember when you punched that guy from my ethics class last year?” Jeongin asked with a frown. “And this was _after_ ethics class.”

Or maybe not.

Changbin let out a low whistle of amazement. “You decked someone on the face, Seungminnie?”

“That was _one_ time.” Seungmin scoffed. “And I merely took desperate measures because I walked in Jeongin being bullied in university.”

“Honestly, I’d do the same.” Hyunjin shrugged.

The people in the room turned to Minho when the crown prince heaved a heavy sigh. “Okay, okay,” he said. “If Jeongin doesn’t want to drop names, let’s let it go. But,” he turned to look Jeongin in the eye. “I want you to be more careful of who you hang out with, alright? Avoid those people from now on.”

“Yeah, I will, hyung.” Jeongin nodded, fingers tightening around his coffee mug. “I’m…I’m sorry for worrying everyone.” He turned to look at his other friends. “And I’m sorry for dragging you and Chan-hyung out there especially after what you guys went through a few days ago.”

“I don’t trust anyone else to fetch you anyway.” Minho said. He squeezed his eyes and stifled a yawn. He remembered that he hadn’t gotten any sleep yet and that might affect his body negatively especially that he was still recuperating from his injuries.

“Why don’t we get you to bed, hyung?” Came Felix’s gentle voice beside him. “I’ll bring you to your room.”

“I can go on my own.” He assured his brother. “You should go and eat with the others. I’m more tired than hungry.”

Felix looked hesitant for a moment, but Minho reached out to pinch his cheek.

“There you go again, treating me like a baby.” Minho teased while Felix scrunched his nose, annoyed. “Don’t forget who’s older, Bokkie.”

Minho gave a little wave at his friends and exited the kitchen to head to his room. After he had washed up and changed into clean clothes, he closed the curtains to block out the rising sun and crawled into bed. As Minho laid there in silence, his mind ran with thoughts of the events at the club. He thought about the fighter he sponsored, and the nagging thought he had in his mind.

What if…?

The guy was light on his feet, but his strikes were sure and he moved quickly too. He had a quick wit that made him think a step ahead of his opponent and he had that fire in his eyes that kept on haunting Minho.

And when he grinned at him…

Minho quickly grabbed one of the pillows on his bed and covered his face with it, hoping that it snuffed out the thoughts in his mind. Practically speaking, the fighter was ideal. He already had hand to hand combat mastered which would lessen time and resources with training…

He removed the pillow and Minho stared at the blue and white ceiling of his room. He would have to bring this up with Chan and he could already tell that his hyung will be hesitant. The feeling kept nagging at Minho and he knew that he wasn’t going to get any sleep soon until he got more information. He grabbed his phone from where it rested beside he pillow when he remembered that he told JK that he would send the payment after they went to the club in which, Minho did.

While he stared at his reflection after the screen of his phone went to sleep mode, the voices of curiosity and practicality battled in his mind. It annoyed him and he believed that it will continue to bother him if he didn’t at least try it out. If his suggestion fails to convince Chan and Changbin (since they’re the ones Minho trusted the most when it came to royal security), then at least he tried. Scrolling through his contacts, Minho dialed JK’s number again.

 ** _“Hello!”_** Came that familiar cheerful voice. **_“Calling back so soon, your highness?_** ”

“Yeah,” Minho replied while he tried to keep exhaustion out of his voice to sound professional. “I was very impressed with what you pulled off earlier, hyung. The VIP passes really helped.”

 ** _“My business is all about providing quality services.”_** JK said and Minho heard a squeak of a chair in the background. The hacker probably leaned back confidently. **_“So, what can I do for you this time?”_**

This was it. Minho took a deep breath and decided that there was no turning back now.

“I need someone’s file.” The crown prince said. “One of the fighters in club MIROH. They called him J.One.”

On the other end, the hacker hummed an Minho could hear the quick and heavy typing in the silence of the pause. **_“I got his basics.”_** JK said a few seconds later and Minho was amazed with how fast he worked. **_“His real name is Han Jisung, twenty-three years old. Born and raised in Incheon. I’m sending a quick photo and you can confirm if he’s the same guy.”_**

Han Jisung.

Minho memorized that name and his heart sped up in excitement because the fighter that caught his attention finally had a name. When his phone vibrated after JK sent a photo, Minho minimized the call window and tapped on the secure link that led to the photo. Memories that night came back to Minho in silent flashes; the way he moved, the fire in his eyes, that smile…

Han Jisung’s photo was a stolen one. He wore a faded yellow bomber jacket and a black cap while carrying a duffel bag. He stood at a bus stop, looking down one end of the road as if anticipating his ride.

 ** _“Is that him?”_** JK’s voice broke through Minho’s thoughts.

 ** _“Y-Yes,”_** His reply came in a soft gasp and he realized yet again that he was holding his breath. **_“that’s him. Can you send everything that the you can find out about him?”_**

 ** _“Sure can, aaaand,”_** JK said in a sing-song tone. There was a loud click of a keyboard key. **_“Sent!”_**

“You really work fast, hyung.” Minho sat up on the bed and leaned on the headboard. “does that mean it’ll cost extra?”

**_“Nah, like I said, my business provides quality service.”_ **

“Thanks. I’ll send the payment for this one again after we hang up.” Minho smiled through the receiver. “Oh, and, hyung?” he added. “I might be contacting you again soon. I think we might be talking a lot in the next few weeks.”

With that, JK chuckled. **_“You’re one of my regulars, your highness, and you always pay ahead of the due date so just let me know what you need.”_**

The call dropped and Minho was once again left in the chaos of this thoughts. He stared at the encrypted link in his bogus email. There sender’s name on the header was just a bunny emoji with a subject that read ‘J1’.

A pink boxing bunny character flashed on Minho’s screen while the file decrypted and opened up a 5 page PDF file. Minho grabbed his reading glasses from his nightstand and started to read and absorb as much as he could about Han Jisung. He was the youngest in his family and as JK said, was born and raised Incheon. He had two years worth of credits from university before he dropped out and went to Seoul last year to pursue a career in underground fighting. The next few pages contained Han Jisung’s school records, medical history, trainings and affiliations, and other information like the jobs he had in the past.

There was also a page dedicated to his statistics and the scores from his matches. Han Jisung had a good record back in Incheon but as that annoying club attendant told Minho, he had not won a single match in Seoul.

That is, until earlier that night when Minho stepped in with a sponsorship.

He put his phone away and laid back down. Minho squeezed his eyes when he felt a migraine drill through his head from being awake for almost twenty-four hours now. Hopefully Felix or Seungmin would figure out to keep Tzuyu out of his hair for a little while with his schedule. As he drifted into an empty sleep, the last thought in Minho’s mind was a figure of a lone fighter in the middle of a ring.

*

It was about dinner time when Minho woke up. He sat up, yawned, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. His room was dark just as he last remembered it when he fell asleep and when he checked the time on his phone, it was already nearing 8 PM. Minho took a moment to just sit there and collect his thoughts. His brain worked worse than a rusty sewing machine without coffee but he knew that if he kept up this sleeping schedule, his body clock would be fucked when his royal duties resumed tomorrow.

Minho got out of bed and padded to the bathroom to wash up for the day…well, night. After he got dressed, a knock sounded on his door.

“Just a moment.” Minho called while he patted some moisturizer on his face. He rubbed the towel on his damp hair again and slung it across his shoulders while he headed to the door to open it. “Oh.”

Changbin stood on the hallway and he was dressed in his usual suit uniform. “’Sup?”

Minho arched a brow in confusion. “Aren’t you off on Sundays?”

“It got moved to tomorrow instead. Something came up.” Changbin shrugged then paused when he cocked his head to the side when someone spoke into his earpiece. He muttered a quick affirmative then turned to Minho. “You should get dressed into something nicer, your highness. The king summons you for dinner. Commander Bang sent me to escort you downstairs.”

The formalities and titles were used which meant in that moment, they weren’t friends but crown prince and royal guard; a line was drawn between work and friendship.

“Could you enlighten me, please?”

“There are other people in the palace right now.” Changbin replied. “Your uncle is here with an entourage.”

Minho’s eyes widened at the surprise visit. Lee Dongwook is the king’s younger brother. He often travelled around Korea and parts of the globe to secure trade agreements to continue to boost the economy. Minho was fond of is uncle and he often enjoyed it whenever he visited since he always brought him and Felix back something from his travels. That didn’t change even until now that the princes were already adults.

“Give me a moment to get dressed.”

Changbin smiled. “Earpiece is quiet.”

“Alright, gimme a sec to put some underwear on.”

The guard burst out laughing and Minho opened the door wider. “You wanna come in?”

“Can’t.” Changbin shook his head. “I have to stand out here and do my job.”

Minho nodded and closed the door.

*

“Minho!” The king’s younger brother, Lee Dongwook, immediately turned to Minho’s direction when the crown prince appeared on the doorway of the dining room. Their uncle was one of the few people that Minho and Felix were fond off in the family. Even though there was still a notable age gap between him and his nephews, he was still closer to their age than their father so the princes were comfortable to spend time with him.

Lee Dongwook was named as one of South Korea’s sexiest bachelors under forty and a very notable name in the trading industry. While Jinhee was more involved in the political matters and focused on the well-being of the citizens, Dongwook oversaw the business ventures of the royal family.

“Hello, uncle.” Minho bowed and Dongwook smiled at him while he put down his cutlery for the moment. When Minho studied the people in the room, he noted that Felix and their father were there as well as the maids who attended the people in the occupied chairs. A mix of his uncle’s bodyguards as and theirs stood on by the doors and patrolled the grounds outside.

“It’s good to see you. How was Busan?”

“Hot during this time of the year.” Dongwook replied with a sigh. He glanced at the king. “As I was telling my dear brother, I was just able to seal a contract deal with a trading port.” He shook his head. “And he didn’t believe that I could pull it off.”

“I was merely concerned that it was a risky deal, brother.” The king chuckled. “But you do have your charms that seem to work miracles.” He smiled at his youngest son. “Maybe Yongbok inherited that from you?”

Felix merely smiled that made his eyes sparkle.

“Come and eat, Minho,” King Jinhee beckoned his son to the seat that was prepared for him. “I haven’t seen you all day.”

“Let him sleep all week if he wants to, hyung,” Dongwook made a soft ‘tsk’ from the king’s chiding. “he’s still recuperating, aren’t you, your highness?”

“I-I,” Minho was caught off by that. “I’m feeling much better, uncle, thank you for asking. Although I just had some things to take care of last night that’s I was exhausted.”

“He’s a bit of a workaholic.” Felix cut in with a pleasant chuckle. “I did try to tell him that he should relax more.”

“Well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, now does it?” Dongwook glanced at the king who rolled his eyes. “Minho, listen to me, keep that up and you’ll lose your youth before your hit thirty. So, if I were you, I’ll try to take it easy.”

Take it easy while you can because once you become the king, you won’t be able to do most of the things you want. That was how it felt for Minho. Maybe his uncle Dongwook was right or maybe it was just his bad habit of spoiling them when their father’s back was turned. Their uncle used to give them ice cream after breakfast when they were little, after all. It’s just now, he spoiled them with different things.

Dinner was pleasant. Dongwook told them about the details of the business contract with the trading port in Busan and how it would open trade routes with other countries. He also told them about his trip to Europe the month before and mentioned that he brought them clothes from the fashion show that he was invited to. Of course, Minho and Felix grinned brightly at that since the brothers had a shared love for fashion.

When Minho’s shoulder started to throb dully, he excused himself so that he could go to his room and take his medicine for the pain. He bowed before he left the sitting room they were in where the royal family often entertain guests. After he went to his bathroom and drank the pills, he looked at his reflection on the bathroom mirror.

Sometimes, he didn’t recognize who looked back at him; was it Minho or was it the crown prince? When was the last time he burst out laughing as Minho and not the discreet and curated laughs that the cameras knew? When was the last time he went into his mother’s old dance studio at the other side of the palace and lost himself in dance and music?

Minho remembered the hidden glances Felix and Changbin passed each other during public events and the way they held each other when they were surrounded by friends. He saw the trust between them and their actions for each other that had quiet affection.

When did Minho ever have that? When did Minho actually dated someone he liked instead of the awkward matches his father arranged to be his potential spouse? Those dinners felt like more like auditions instead of actual dates.

Uncle Dongwook was right; he was losing his youth.

He almost jumped out his skin when he heard a knock on his door. Seriously, why are people bothering him so much today? He should put up a sign on his door that bluntly said; ‘GO AWAY’.

“Just a moment!” Minho called from the bathroom and grabbed a towel to wipe his hands with before he headed to the door.

“Are you alright?” Dongwook stood out in the hall and Minho was surprised that his uncle went and visited him personally.

“Yes.” Minho nodded but Dongwook merely cocked his head to the side with a single brow arch that seemed to be trademark in their family. Minho looked at his uncle and lowered his gaze.

“No.” He finally admitted with a trembling whisper. “I try to be okay because I have to be.”

Dongwook sighed and raked his fingers through his hair to push it back from his eyes. “I could tell.” He gave his nephew a small smile. “May I come in?”

“Of course.” Minho nodded and opened the door wider for his uncle. “Please come in, I’m sorry if my room is a little messy.”

“Oh, please, this place is pristine.” Dongwook chuckled. “Your father’s room was worse when we were your age.”

Minho smiled at that. Once inside, Dongwook sat on the couch by the window and Minho pulled open the curtain to let the moonlight and the lights from the garden flood in his room before he sat beside his uncle.

“Can I get you anything to drink, uncle?”

“Thanks, but I’ll pass.” Dongwook waved a hand. Minho nodded and a moment of comfortable silence passed between them before his uncle spoke again. “You know, the reason I came here as soon as I got back from Busan is because I wanted to check up on you.”

That got Minho’s attention and he stared at his uncle.

“I received word of what happened during the business meeting for that Busan port deal I was talking about during dinner.” Dongwook continued sullenly. “To be honest, I almost blew off that deal because I couldn’t focus. I was scared for you.”

Emotion wrapped around Minho’s throat like an invisible hand and it felt difficult to breathe with the tears trapped in his throat.

“Your dad was right; it was a miracle that I even got that deal.”

“I’m sorry,” Minho choked on the tears he fought back to hold. He tried very hard not to shed tears in front of his uncle since he felt like he had troubled everyone enough. Maybe he was a burden since all he did was make everyone worry about him. “I didn’t mean to make everyone worry.”

“Hey, what matters is that you’re okay.” Dongwook offered a kind smile. He opened his arms for his nephew and Minho immediately gravitated towards the embrace his uncle offered. “You’re okay, Minho. You’re alive.”

After they broke off the brief embrace, Dongwook grinned at him. “Did you get the new PS5 yet?” he asked and that made Minho crack a teary smile.

“Of course.”

“Think you can beat my Mario Kart score from last time?”

Minho’s teary smile turned into a full-blown grin because Minho can never turn down a good challenge.

*

A few days later, Minho sat on his work desk in his study. There were piles of folders and papers that Tzuyu had brought for him that morning and she told her that he needed to read through them and decide if the project was doable with the annual budget available for the year.

It wasn’t even lunch time yet and Minho already had a mild migraine and he felt like he gained about twenty silver hairs. By the time lunch rolled in, he had successfully gone through half of the pile and the folders were now split into two stacks; one for those that were done and one that he would need to go through later.

Removing his glasses to set it down on beside his laptop, Minho decided to take a break and get some food. He was craving for something simple like, maybe, a sandwich. He left his room and went to the kitchen where he chanced upon some of the cooks and maids preparing food for lunch.

“Hello,” Minho greeted politely and the whole kitchen froze to look at him in shock as if he had no business being there. God, can people not treat Minho that he can’t do anything himself?

“Y-Your highness!” One of the maids gasped softly before she remembered her manners and bowed her head. The rest of the staff followed suit.

“Uhm, I was wondering if I can make a sandwich?” Minho asked. “I understand that you’re all busy. I can put one together if you tell me where the jam is.”

“Please, allow us, your highness!” A sous chef immediately piped up enthusiastically.

“I can-…” Minho began but then he found himself being led to sit and wait on one of the stools while they prepared his sandwich. After about ten minutes, Minho stared at a perfectly plated clubhouse sandwich in front of him complete with lightly salted potato chips and parsley as decoration. He sighed and took his plate so that the staff wouldn’t be distracted by his presence.

“I’ll take this back to my study,” Minho told them with a smile and a small bow of thanks. “thank you for working hard.” He felt good when the staff glanced at each other with smiles on their faces that someone appreciated them. Minho didn’t enjoy power playing his title as crown prince. Maybe, it depended on the person, but the royal staff did their jobs well and Minho was satisfied with how the royal household ran. Without the title, Minho was just any other guy walking on the street so he chose to be humble with those who deserved it.

“Thank you, your highness!” They all said together and bowed deeply.

In the end, Minho didn’t go back to his study and instead, he sat on his favorite bench under the old gingko tree in the garden. It was such a beautiful day out that it would be a shame to just sit indoors and waste it. While he slowly ate his sandwich and relished the silence in the peaceful garden, he thought about the report he wrote up for Chan last night. It was already in his email drafts ready to be sent to the Second Commander. Minho just had to press the ‘send’ button which he hasn’t done yet.

He set down his plate on the empty spot beside him and took out his phone from his pocket to open his email drafts. Sure enough, the email was there complete with the attachment of Han Jisung’s file. Minho contemplated if he should email this to Chan like a coward or tell it to his hyung himself. If he emailed this to Chan, the other might not be able to read it until later which meant that Minho would have to wait. He couldn’t see any pros in emailing the file except that it was more of a formal request. If Minho just told Chan _then_ send him the file, it’ll be more of a request and Chan would look into it quicker since Minho had personally expressed his intent.

Finally deciding, he called Chan.

“Hi, hyung,” Minho said after Chan answered. “are you busy right now? I need to talk you about something.” A pause. “Yes, I’d like it to be in person. If you’re free right now, I’m under the gingko tree.”

Chan arrived ten minutes later, all dressed up in his crisp royal guard suit. The only difference was that he wore silver pin of the royal family’s coat of arms on the lapel of his jacket. It was a pin of a prowling tiger with its jaws clamped around the hilt of a sword. Three stars formed an arch over the tiger that told of his rank. Sungjin’s pin had four stars which was the highest rank that can be bestowed to a royal guard and it only made sense since it was him who catered to the king’s entourage and oversaw the security of the whole palace.

Changbin had a similar pin on his lapel, except there were no stars. Only the guards who had rank and those who held the honor and responsibility to be the personal guard of a member of the royal family had the privilege to wear those pins.

“You called?” Chan asked, looking concerned. He scanned Minho from head to toe to check if there was something wrong with him physically.

“That, I did.” Minho nodded and he removed the sandwich plate on the bench and he motioned at Chan to sit beside him which the other did with suspicion and anticipation in his eyes.

“What’s the matter?” He asked.

Minho took a deep breath and allowed himself a short moment to collect his thoughts while he watched the colorful koi swimming around the garden pond. “I took initiative,” Minho began carefully. “with that personal guard matter.”

“Oh?” Chan looked genuinely interested now. “Did you choose someone already?” Chan pulled out a small tablet from his pocket where he accessed his files. He was about to show the list to Minho but the crown prince shook his head.

“No, hyung,” he said. “it’s more of a suggestion to recruit.”

Finally, Minho met Chan’s eyes.

“That fighter I sponsored,” Minho asked the Second Commander who looked up from his tablet where he was putting together another shortlist for Minho to choose a potential candidate from. “Can we recruit him, hyung?”

Chan turned to look at him in utter disbelief. “Are you insane?!”

Minho’s sharp gaze confidently met Chan's and his tone held the firm authority of a crown prince; “Maybe I am.”

About fifteen different facial expressions crossed Chan’s face. He was unable to decide how to feel and he stared at Minho as if the crown prince was speaking in another language that he didn’t understand.

“Look, I was able to get information about him.” Minho continued and tapped on his phone to send the file to Chan. The other accessed it in his email the moment it pinged into his tablet. “He already has a vast experience with hand to hand combat which means that it would take less time and resources to train him in that aspect.

Yes, Minho may or may have practiced this spiel in front of the mirror while he got ready that morning.

He would only need to train in using weapons, protocols, royal etiquette and combat strategy.” A small smile. “I trust you and Changbin can handle those.”

“How,” It sounded like Chan’s throat had gone dry. He shook his head in disbelief with his mouth slightly parted in amazement. “and where did you get this much dirt on this guy?”

Minho sighed. “Chan, my trusty hyung and dear friend, you still doubt my princely powers. I am most disappointed.”

“ _Minho._ ” Chan frowned.

“Same way I got our passes to the club, okay?” Minho crossed his arms over his chest. “I can’t say the details. There’s an NDA and I’m a regular so I don’t want to lose my perks.”

It didn’t matter that Chan still didn’t look convinced because Minho had plan B in case the credentials in Han Jisung’s file weren’t enough. “I was intrigued by the match we saw Han Jisung in.” he continued. “But that was only one time so maybe, we can watch a couple of his matches to assess and come to a conclusion.”

“You and me?” Chan raised a brow.

“I’m thinking of brining Changbin this time.” Minho replied. “If Han Jisung will be my guard, that would mean that the two of them will be working together so I want his input too.”

Chan lowered the tablet on his lap and massaged his right temple while he absorbed everything that Minho just said. “Wow, your highness,” he said. “just, wow… I am literally speechless.”

“I know,” Minho smirked slowly at Chan. “I’m a beautiful genius, aren’t I?”

Chan just groaned.


	4. Saturday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I come to you bearing a new chapter! Thank you to those who left comments and kudos for this fic. I really appreciate them and they help inspire me to keep writing. I hope that you enjoy this chapter too because Minsung are starting to interact. Starting from here, I'd be switching POV's between Minho and Jisung. I hope I can give them justice.

Minho couldn’t propose his plan until late that night after Felix had arrived home with Changbin and their entourage. The youngest prince was out the whole day to represent the royal family in the launch of a military aircraft carrier ship on its maiden voyage.

It was nearing 10 PM when Minho wear the door of the room across the hall open and close which meant his brother was back. Carefully, he removed his glasses and placed them down along with the book he was reading before he made his way outside. The first thing Minho did was press his ear on the cool surface of Felix’s door to make sure that he wasn’t ‘interrupting something’ and save himself from being an awkward cockblock.

“I’m exhausted, Binnie.” Came Felix’s deep voice muffled by the ancient mahogany doors. “And my back is killing me.”

“As much as I want us to get lovely tonight, I think that we’ll just both fall asleep after the first round.” Changbin’s voice followed.

Minho wanted to throw up at that conversation, but it was a good thing that Changbin was there because he was waiting for the guard to return all day to tell him his crazy idea. He also had faith that unlike Chan, Changbin would easier to convince since he’s always up for spontaneous ideas too. Minho rarely gets crazy ideas but when he did, he stuck with it.

He didn’t waste time and quickly sent three knocks on the door which opened shortly after.

“Hyung?” Changbin looked surprised to find the crown prince standing out in the hall. His suit jacket was off, leaving on his dress shirt whose sleeves are rolled up to his elbows and his black tie was pulled down loosely on his neck. Felix looked equally surprised as well, his sequined officer’s coat halfway down his arms while he was in the middle of shucking it off.

“Oh, hey, you guys are back!” Minho beamed then immediately turned to Felix. “You know how you’re my favorite brother in the world, right?”

“I’m your _only_ brother in the world.” Felix frowned, confused. “I mean, unless dad didn’t tell us everything but I doubt that.”

“Right and that’s why I absolutely love you.” Minho nodded enthusiastically. “Say, Bokkie, mind if I borrow your boyfriend for five minutes?”

Changbin’s brows furrowed in confusion now and Felix just stared, dumbstruck.

“Ten minutes if he’ll be difficult like Chan-hyung.”

“I-…” Felix began, utterly and desperately lost as to what his older brother was trying to get at. “…guess?”

“Thanks, Bokkie!” Minho beamed at the younger and dragged Changbin out and into his room by the arm.

“Hey, wait!” Felix called after them, but Minho had already dragged the poor and confused bodyguard into his own room.

“What’s going on, hyung?” Changbin was so lost and Felix immediately barged through the door.

“Hey! You’re not stealing my Binnie, are you?!” Felix gulped air from basically sprinting from his room to Minho’s in a span of three seconds.

Minho looked taken back before he burst out laughing at Felix’s panic. “I said ‘borrow’, not ‘steal’! And I don’t want him; He snores.”

“Hey!” Changbin protested.

“Sorry, I had to drag your ass in here.” Minho went to his study where his ipad was. “I forgot to bring this when I went to Felix’s room.” He waved his hands in the air to emphasize his point. “I just had an idea. I talked to Chan-hyung about it today and I told him that I’ll ask you too, and…”

“Ask me what?” Changbin blinked twice and shook his head while he tried to rack his brain if he missed something. “What did you talk to Chan-hyung about? I don’t know what’s going on here.”

“Okay, okay,” Minho forced himself to calm down and collect his own thoughts. Felix crossed his arms over his chest while he waited for his brother to answer as well. “You know how everyone’s pestering me about getting a royal guard?”

“Yeah?” Changbin replied. “Did you have someone in mind?”

“Yes.” Minho nodded quickly. “But it’s not in the shortlist Chan gave me.”

“Is it someone I know who isn’t from around here?” Changbin threw in another question and Minho shook his head. He then passed the ipad to Changbin.

“I think to make things easier for you guys to understand,” Minho said while he offered for his guests to sit on the couch. “I’ll tell you the details of the night we brought Jeongin home from Club MIROH.”

Thirty minutes later, Minho returned the stare Changbin gave him while his friend leaned back on the couch. Beside him, Felix went through the document for the third time.

“Well?” Minho frowned, his eyebrows quirked with impatient curiosity. “What do you think?”

Changbin sighed. “Chan’s right,” he replied. “you’re crazy but those stats and win streaks from Incheon speak for itself.” He absently rubbed his chin contemplatively. “However, his MIROH scores had been dragging until you helped him out.”

“I have reason to believe that that club plays this guy dirty.” Minho said. “The guy he faced when we were there was thrice his size and no one even thought of sponsoring him even though he was at a huge disadvantage.”

“Well, it _is_ an underground fight club,” Changbin loosened his tie even more before he grabbed the bottle of sweet tea that Minho brought out for them. “places like that are unfair.”

“If he’s here for a career then why would he be in a place like that?” The crown prince’s brows furrowed over his dark eyes.

“Money.”

Minho looked at Changbin and beside him, Felix made the slightest movement to press closer to Changbin but said nothing and continued to read on the tablet. It was discreet but Minho noticed the sudden act of affection from his brother.

“Money?” The crown prince repeated.

“Seoul isn’t exactly a cheap place to live, your highness,” Changbin pointed out. “and a career like this, well, the competition is high too.”

“Oh.”

“Bloodsports like fight clubs pay good,” Changbin continued. “and MIROH is one of the places who house that industry.”

“People would really risk themselves for that?” Minho sat on the couch across them.

Changbin went quiet and the air in the room grew cold and sullen. It worried Minho if he had somehow offended his friend.

“Sometimes, someone has to choose between their dreams and survival.” He averted his gaze from Minho and started picking on the label on the bottle of his tea. “I’m no stranger to that, hyung.”

A lump formed in Minho’s throat as he remembered when Changbin first arrived at the palace. He was quiet and his peers always kept out of his way because of the dark aura he always had around him. Hell, Minho stayed out of his way and was glad that he was his brother’s guard instead. The only people who even interacted with Changbin were Chan and of course, Felix. Minho didn’t know what kind of life Changbin had before he worked for the royal family. Whatever it was, he never spoke about it openly. Minho didn’t push on the subject.

To lighten the mood, Felix suddenly spoke up after he lowered the tablet on the throw pillow on his lap and looked at Minho; “Are you sure that you want to recruit this guy because of his fighting skills and not because he’s cute?”

Minho’s eyes widened and he felt warmth burst all over his face. Felix’s smile turned into a smirk of victory when his brother’s ears turned red. “Stop talking trash, Felix!”

“But look at his cheeks, hyung!” Felix showed the tablet to Minho with the screed zoomed in on Han Jisung’s face.

They’re so round! He looks like a squirrel!”

“What the fuck?”

Changbin gave a small and quiet smile, clearly amused at how Felix can make his brother lose his princely attitude and pull out the real Lee Minho underneath.

“He can probably stuff a whole cheesecake in there,” Felix said but then his voice lowered, and he flashed his brother a dark, suggestive grin. “…Among other things.”

Felix burst out with laughter on the carpeted floor when Minho grabbed a throw pillow and threw it at his brother. Changbin was able to quickly counter the feathery attack on the younger prince, to Minho’s frustration.

“Lee Yongbok, the shit the comes out of your mouth is just…so… argh!” Minho threw another pillow at them but Changbin failed to block it this time because he was laughing too hard.

“You sound like Hyunjin-hyung!” Felix wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes and climbed back to sit beside his boyfriend on the couch. “So, what do you think, Binnie?” He asked. “Will you go with them and check this guy out?”

“Yeah, I want to see why the crown prince has the hots for this guy.” Changbin smiled at the younger prince who curled up against him.

“Wh-What?!” Minho blurted out but it was as if they didn’t hear him. “I told you, it’s not like that!”

“I want to come.” Felix finally announced but Changbin pressed his lips into a thin line to express his disapproval.

“Why?”

“You need a date,” Felix replied. “And since this guy could potentially be my idiot brother’s guard, then I want to see if this poor guy will survive.”

“You’re too pretty for a place like that.” He tapped the tip of Felix’s button nose which prompted a soft scoff from the prince. “And it’ll piss me off if the clubgoers check you out.”

Felix laughed. “Beat them up, then.” He gave a little shriek when Changbin poked his ticklish side.

“The nerve to flirt in front of _me_ in _my own room_!” Minho exclaimed, annoyed. He feigned being furious but secretly enjoyed seeing how happy his little brother and friend were with each other. When Felix smirked and Changbin’s gaze lowered to stare when the prince bit his lower lip in invitation, Minho’s look of amusement turned into horror.

“Out!” Minho jumped up to his feet and grabbed Changbin and Felix by the arms. He used all his strength to yank them up. **“OUT!”**

He watched with a look of disgust when the other two stumbled out of his room, howling in laughter.

“Set a date and let us know, hyung!” Felix called out before he closed the door, leaving Minho in the lonely silence of his room. He sighed before he plopped down on the couch and retrieved his reading glasses and his book from where he abandoned them earlier. Minho tried to lose himself in the story he was reading but found that his mind wandered off somewhere else. He thought about how happy Felix and Changbin were with each other even if what they had would be frowned on by the world and so, would have to be kept secret. It was risky but they were happy.

Minho sighed and squirmed around the couch to try and find a position he was comfortable in but found that he couldn’t focus on his task. He ended up staring at the ceiling instead with his mind jumping from one thought to another until they settled on the arrangements he would have to make for their night at Club MIROH. His thoughts were then assaulted by the endless list of stuff he had to do for the next couple of days and he felt like he was about to cave in at any moment. He wished he was just a normal guy and not the crown prince, then maybe, no one would try to kill him. He’d have more time for himself, more time for his hobbies, more freedom to do what he wanted… more freedom to love who he wanted.

“You’re being an idiot again, Lee Minho,” He muttered to himself while he closed his eyes and exhaled a long and tired sigh. “wishes are all you have.”

**

Saturday. That night was a Saturday.

Since Han Jisung was a kid, he had always believed that Saturdays were significant in his life. It was a Saturday when he got into his first fistfight in the playground. It was a Saturday when he won a free cheesecake coupon from a convenience store raffle when he was in middle school. It was a Saturday when his dad left him, his mother, and his older brother to trade them off for his mistress.

To forget the image of his dad boarding his car and driving away even for a moment, Jisung had gotten drunk with some friends from college and they dragged him to a rickety old bar in the bowels of downtown. It was also on that very Saturday that Jisung was got into a street fight because one of his friends looked at another gang’s girlfriend wrong. He punched and kicked his way through and beat up a guy three years older and way taller than him. As he and his friends ran away, Jisung laughed out loud at the merciless cold winter night with his breath fogging up to the dark sky because he never felt so free and so valid in that little victory.

That was how he found himself training in gyms and getting gigs in underground fight clubs in Incheon. A year after, Jisung felt something call out to him to come east to Seoul. He thought, ‘fuck it’ and hopped onto a train to the country’s capital to try his luck and fate in carving his own path.

It turned out that getting gigs and matches in the big city was difficult for a small-town Incheon boy, especially one who still didn’t have a name for himself. This profession rarely puts food in his stomach or pays the rent. He was good but there are many who are far better, so he started doing the sleazy gigs and took a detour from his dream of becoming a professional athlete to do sponsored blood sports for the entertainment of those with money to burn.

The first few months were especially difficult for Jisung. He had not won a single match and he had never gotten a sponsorship either.

Until that fateful Saturday.

“GET UP!” The words rang over the cheering noise of the crowd. The world spun around Jisung but the next thing he knew, brass knuckles were being shoved towards him. “PLEASE, GET UP!”

Jisung took that chance and gave his all into the hardest punch he’s ever thrown since he stepped foot in this cursed city. He was sure he heard a sickening crack when his fist connected with his opponent’s skull. He didn’t even care about the unconscious guy on his feet on the canvass floor. Jisung had immediately searched the crowd for that one voice that believed in him until his eyes fell on a figure on the back of the crowd. The guy just stood there, unmoving, unlike the faceless crowd that clambered outside the ring.

He wore a black lace cat mask that concealed the upper part of his face but Jisung knew that it was him. He had no idea what came over him, but he grinned at his sponsor in gratitude for the gift of his first victory. The guy was gone a split second later.

The day after, Jisung had to be extra nice and helpful to the attendant hyungs he actually liked in that godforsaken club so that he could get the name of his sponsor. No one was able to give him an answer until he approached by one of the more senior staff of the club.

Jisung liked Jackson and he respected him because he was one of the few people in that place that treated Jisung like he was an actual human being. He was also one of the people that oversaw the finances of the club and apparently, Jisung’s sponsorship brought in a hefty amount that night. Jackson himself went to meet Jisung personally in the locker room to hand over his earnings and the hefty tip from the sponsor and to congratulate him on his first win.

Jisung had bowed low to Jackson in both thanks and to ask a favor if he knew who his sponsor was since everyone had been ignoring him. Jackson had laughed that deep laugh of his and clapped Jisung on the back for being such a ‘grateful kid’.

 _“The name that registered in the system is Lee Know.”_ Jackson had told him. _“Let’s hope he comes back; this person has the potential to be a big fish around here and that’s always good for business.”_

Lee Know. It disappointed Jisung to know that it was a fake name, but he wasn’t surprised since the club revolved around in anonymity. He only hoped that he can see Lee Know again and thank them properly because that match with the foreign fighter had been one of the most brutal he’s had. The guy was a visiting fighter in Korea for a gig and they said that he was merciless to the point that sometimes, the people he fought against, died from their injuries.

Tonight was a Saturday.

Jisung had a match and he was going against another visiting fighter. Jisung did his best to prepare for this fight during the past few days and during the past matches he had this week, he didn’t get any sponsorships nor did Lee Know’s name registered in the payment logs. The loud bang of his locker door echoed against the cold and grimy walls of the locker room.

“J.One.”

Jisung looked up from tightening his hand wraps and saw a familiar face approach him. Jackson Wang donned his usual pristine suit. The white gold cufflinks on his wrists sparkled even when it caught the low lighting in the locking room. He wore his polished green and gold renaissance mask but took it off to show his face to Jisung.

“I didn’t expect you down here tonight, hyung,” Jisung said with a small smile.

“That’s because I wanted to show you something.” Jackson slipped out a sleek black device from his pocket, the same one some of the attendants used in the club. “Look at this, kid.”

Out of curiosity Jisung went over and looked at the screen. There was a large amount of money displayed on the screen and when he read the registration, his eyes widened.

Lee Know.

“Your sponsor from last time availed the presidential balcony suite,” Jackson told him with a small smile while he pocketed the device in his coat pocket. “Best view in the whole damn house just to watch your match tonight.”

“I-…” Jisung racked his mind for something to say but couldn’t. Who the hell was this guy?

“Oh, I forgot to mention,” Jackson added. “this person also ordered the most expensive champagne we have available. BamBam almost fainted when we told him that he needed to bring out two bottles from his precious stash.” He patted Jisung on the shoulder and placed his mask back on. “Do your best out there,” He said. “this person is obviously a high roller and you caught their interest.”

Jisung felt the pressure of that statement; why him? What did he do to get such praise?

A ring attendant appeared in the doorway and jabbed his thumb out to gesture at Jisung. “Hey, J.One, you’re up.”

Beside him, Jackson went on ahead but before he exited the locker room, he glanced at Jisung over his shoulder. “Don’t get killed, Han.”

**

“I won’t be surprised if they mistake you as the leader of the party, Changbin.” Minho commented with amusement while Felix refilled Changbin’s flute glass with champagne before the younger prince climbed back onto his boyfriend’s lap, perched with poise. Unlike the last time they were here, Minho and Chan were all dressed up and so were Felix and Changbin.

Chan donned a simple black leather jacket, combat boots, and the wolf mask he wore the last time while Changbin wore a suit jacket and a white v-neck shirt underneath paired with a dark blue chrome phantom of the opera mask. Their outfits were simple but not completely underdressed. Minho knew that it was more practical because in case something happens, the two can move comfortably.

Changbin scoffed while his hand snake around Felix’s waist when the other straddled him on the couch while he took a sip from his own champagne flute. “Me? Can’t you see what _you’re_ wearing?”

Minho screamed royalty no matter how much h told Chan and Changbin that it was the simplest outfit he had. Tonight, he wore a deep green silk open hanbok style robe over a loose gold silk tank top. He wore his black cat lace mask which Minho found out, belonged to Hyunjin. Minho didn’t bother asking where Hyunjin used that mask for because Hyunjin’s life was a rollercoaster that Minho wanted no part of.

“I think it suits him.” Felix smiled at Changbin, slow and sultry as a cat underneath the black and blue Swarovski studded black swan mask we wore. His exposed eye was meticulously painted with smokey eyeshadow and winged eyeliner. Crystal beads and black feathers framed his eye which threw the electric blue contacts he wore into stark contrast. The creamy skin of his shoulder was exposed by the drooping sleeve of his black satin crop top and the outfit was topped up by a diamond choker around his neck. If Minho looked like royalty, Felix was otherworldly.

“Can’t we all agree that we all look good?” Chan flashed them a quick smile but that disappeared quickly. “Did you tell the others about this, Minho?”

Minho walked over to the glass doors that led to the balcony of the suite and it reminded him of those balconies in opera houses. They had a great and clear view of the ring and the cheering crowd underneath. The fight hasn’t started yet but he could see that the attendants were scampering around the ring to prepare it.

“I did, actually,” Minho told Chan who cocked his head to the side in curiosity. “Seungmin read the file and agreed that an ocular observation was a good idea.”

“Seungminnie also advised that hyung should assess with his eyes and not with his dick.” Felix giggled lowly. Changbin and Chan almost choked on their champagne and Minho rolled his eyes so hard that he was sure that he saw his brain in his skull before giving his brother a death glare.

“Unfortunately,” Minho gritted the word out to turn the subject back on track. “Seungminnie had some matters to attend to with Royal Advisor Kim.”

“Hyunjin?” Changbin asked.

“He threw a bitch fit on the phone when I called him because he wanted to come with us, but his allergies decided to pester him tonight.”

“That never stopped, hyung before.” Felix pointed out. “Is he losing his touch?”

Minho shrugged. “I guess it’s that bad? I told him that we’re here for work and not for pleasure.”

“And Innie?” Chan asked this time.

“I mentioned it to him,” Minho replied. He told Jeongin but did not make it sound like an invitation to tag along. Fortunately, Jeongin wasn’t interested. “He said he’s not comfortable coming back here then he called me a ‘crazy old man’.” He sighed while his companions grinned. “Honestly, Chan’s older than me and no one ever calls him an old man.”

“Maybe because you act like it?” Changbin offered. “Who naps in the middle of the day after tea?”

“Being a crown prince is tiring, okay?” Minho pouted. Their attention was caught when they heard the announcer say that the match of the night was about to begin. The guest fighter of the night was the first one to step into the ring. He was smaller than the last one Minho saw but he was lean with rippling muscles. Judging by his quick side jumps, Minho could tell that this guy was fast, maybe as fast as J.One. Nonetheless, Minho was in luck, they’re evenly matched in height and weight so the match will be based on skill and sponsorship.

Finally, J.One stepped into the ring and Minho froze in attention in his seat when the fighter looked in his direction. Han Jisung knew that it was Minho in the suite. Their eyes locked through the one-way glass; Minho can see Han Jisung but the other wasn’t supposed to see him… and yet…

“It looks like he’s expecting you, your highness.” Chan muttered beside him while he refilled Minho’s champagne flute.

“It seems so.” Minho mouthed against the rim of his glass before he took a drink. Felix smiled and settled against Changbin’s chest while the guard wordlessly watched the ring with appraising eyes.

“Well, then, Han Jisung,” Minho leaned back against the plush couch as the bell rang. “impress me.”

*

Han Jisung did not disappoint. By the time the third bell rang for the final round, Changbin was standing right beside the glass door with his arms crossed over his chest while he watched with focus. Felix was also on the edge of his seat while Chan forgot about the plate of hors d’oeuvres he was eating because he was caught up with the match. Minho felt like he hadn’t moved a muscle since the start of the match. There had been too many close calls, but his favored fighter was able to dodge and delivers sure and quick jabs. Jisung managed to land hits but his opponent was almost as fast as him.

“What do you think, Changbin?” Minho heard Chan ask his junior who kept a dark and observant gaze on the crown prince’s favored fighter.

“I can guess that this kid fought on the streets before,” Changbin leaned on the door frame. “He fights smart and he’s got more than one trick up his sleeve.”

“Oh?” Chan’s eyes never left the ring. “Did you notice his punches?”

“I did,” Changbin replied. “The side hits, in particular.” The guard pointed out and Minho listened intently at the observations. Below, Jisung threw a side punch which landed on his opponent’s left rib and when the other stumbled back, Jisung used that split-second window to throw more punches and push the other back against the ropes.

“There,” Changbin pointed and they all collectively watched the ring. “He used an uppercut motion commonly used when armed with a knife.”

Felix sucked in a sharp breath and Chan’s lips parted slightly in a quiet gasp. Minho, well, Minho considered his options while he took Changbin’s observation into account.

“Do you think he’s killed someone before?” Felix asked, eyes nervously glancing back and forth between the ring and Changbin but it was Minho who answered his brother’s question;

“His police record is clean,” He replied. “unless he’s also good at getting away.”

The opponent faltered and it gave Minho an idea. He reached for a button on the table to request the presence of an attendant and sure enough, there was a knock on the door which Chan opened carefully.

“Do you have a request, sir?” the attendant asked while she stood in the doorway since Chan did not give her word to enter.

“I would like to sponsor,” Minho said coolly. “Please bring me that device.”

The request made Felix stare at his brother with wide eyes, but he kept his silence.

“Certainly, sir,” the attendant nodded. “I have one right here.”

“Bring it here.”

“Yes, sir.”

Chan stepped aside to let the attendant inside. She stood in full attention beside where Minho sat and took out the scanner device from her pocket.

“I was informed earlier that a perk of the presidential suite is being able to give an Order?” Minho asked the attendant while he quietly slipped out his black card from his pocket. “Is this true?”

“Yes, sir,” the attendant replied. Minho caught the look of horrified surprise on Chan’s and Changbin’s faces. Felix was quiet on the couch, but he can tell that his brother was nervous.

“You may give an Order to the recipient of the sponsorship.” The attendant confirmed. “I shall fetch the scarves after the sponsorship is validated.”

Minho wordlessly took the device from her and scanned through options before making a choice, then, he swiped his black card and handed the device.

“Thank you, sir,” The attendant bowed. “the sponsorship has been validated. The ringside attendants will fetch your weapon of choice for J.One.”

Felix let out a soft squeak. “Hyung,” but Minho ignored him. He wanted to test something else. Han Jisung’s skills impressed him, but now, he wanted to know his character. Beforehand, JK told him that the presidential suite had perks for sponsorship and Minho thought that he could use this to his advantage.

The attendant strode towards a drawer and took out a small silver tray. Two silk scarves were folded neatly on it; one red and one yellow.

“Shall I explain to you how the Order works, sir?” The attendant asked after she placed the silver tray on the table in front of Minho.

“Please.” Minho didn’t even look at her as he crossed his legs in one swift graceful motion; one knee over the over. He already knew but he just wanted to cross-check that JK’s instructions were correct. He swirled champagne absently in his glass while he watched the ring. The crowd cheered and the whole suite was electrified when the announcer cried out that there was sponsorship for J.One.

“These scarves represent your Order to your fighter, sir,” the attendant began. “The yellow scarf represents Mercy while the red one represents Execution.”

The attendant’s words made Felix sit up straight in alarm. “H-Hyung, wait!” but he quieted down when Minho waved a hand at him in a gesture of silence.

“Thank you,” Minho simply said. “you may go.”

When the attendant left, Minho stood up from his seat and took one of the scarves from the tray.

“Minho!” Chan exclaimed in alarm. “Think about this!”

“I have.” Minho replied simply and Seungmin’s words from their call earlier that day rang through his mind;

 _“Skill is useless without proper character.”_ His future royal advisor told him _. “As the future king, you should want a knight, not a mercenary.”_

Minho had teased the younger that he had been reading too many romance novels again, but he knew that Seungmin had a point. He wanted someone who can think for themselves and not put money or glory over their morals.

That was when he remembered what JK said when the hacker explained the presidential suite perks to him.

 _“If you throw the red scarf, your guy would have to beat the crap out of the other guy until he loses consciousness,”_ A thoughtful pause. _“I’m not sure about MIROH’s policy but I don’t think they’d kill the guy in front of hundreds of people. One thing is for sure, if your guy refuses your Order, he’s fired.”_

“What are you thinking of doing, Minho-hyung?” Felix jumped out of his feet and went after his brother who opened one of the glass doors that led to the balcony. The hot air of the stadium and the iron scent of blood filled his nose, but Minho held his chin up regally as he stepped into view.

Han Jisung had managed to overpower his opponent and he held an iron baseball bat. The opponent was cornered on one of the four posts of the ring that held the ropes and he was shaking with both arms crossed over his head in a desperate attempt to defend himself.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Sponsor has appeared!”

Hundreds of masked eyes looked up to gaze at Minho and the cheers died down to be replaced by intrigued murmurs that were white noise to Minho’s ears. Han Jisung looked up at him from the ring and the same cold electricity slid down Minho’s spine when their eyes met despite the mask that he wore.

The crown prince raised his hand to show the crimson scarf that hung between his slender fingers.

The crowd went wild.

Han Jisung’s expression twisted in horror and disbelief.

Minho’s lips quirked into a sly smirk.

“Finish him! Finish him!” The crowd chanted mercilessly but Minho did not join and merely stood there on the balcony with poise. He watched as Han Jisung frowned deeply at him and those eyes that had been bright from the adrenaline of the fight moments ago had turned dark and now glared at Minho.

He turned back on his opponent and gripped the handle of the bat, hard. He was obviously conflicted, and Minho knew that the fighter was weighing his options until...

There were gasps from the crowd when J.One dropped the bat on the floor and helped his bewildered opponent up to his feet. He shook the other’s hand for good sportsmanship then faced the balcony, locked eyes with Minho, and bowed. The murmurs turned to ‘boos’ as he left the ring and quietly stalked to the locker room.

Turning his back from the crowd, Minho made his way inside the suite after he nodded at Felix in thanks for closing the glass doors.

“This one has skills, honor, and conscience.” Minho faced his companions and removed his mask momentarily to rake his fingers through his dark hair. “Are there any more thoughts and inputs?”

There was a pregnant pause in the room before Chan said; “You’re sure about this, your highness?”

“Yes.”

Chan nodded. “Then, I have nothing else to say.”

“Same here.” Changbin followed. “As long as he doesn’t prove to be difficult as a trainee then I’m good.”

Minho turned to Felix next. “Bokkie?”

The younger prince met his gaze from behind his lavish bejeweled mask. “I trust your judgment, hyung.”

A small smile lifted the corners of Minho’s lips at the faith Felix had in him. He gave them one last look and then nodded. “Then, it is settled.”

“You do realize that you just cost him his job, right?” Changbin frowned. “Don’t you think that you went a little too far to try and test him?”

“That’s alright, he’s getting another offer anyway.” Minho replied and when no one else spoke, he placed the mask back over his face. He pressed the button on the table to call for an attendant again and a knock sounded on the door shortly. Changbin was the one to open the door this time and the same lady attendant from earlier stepped in.

“What can do for you, sir?” She asked.

“I would like a private audience with J.One, please.”

The attendant bowed. “Of course, sir.”


	5. Play With Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I know I just updated, but I enjoyed writing this chapter so much that I want you guys to read it. I'm sorry I have no self-control. I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again since it will be very busy for me soon. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter because I sure did! Oh, and thank you very much for all the lovely comments! You guys have been very supportive and I can hope that I would be able to provide you a wonderful story. THE GANG IS COMPLETE NOW! :D

Jisung stood under the spray of the shower with his eyes closed. The water that slid down the hard plains of his body turned pink as it hit the floor from his bleeding cuts. He felt bile churn in his gut at the thought of the crimson scarf being raised over the balcony by the person who wore a black lace cat mask. And something squirmed in his gut when he remembered that slow, sly smirk. It was ridiculous and he hated to admit it, but he felt a pang of betrayal because he trusted that Lee Know was different. He trusted that his mysterious Sponsor wasn’t like the other sick patrons who attended this club for entertainment because he helped a nobody like Jisung.

It turned out that Lee Know was like everyone else here.

“Hey, Han!” The door of the shower rooms banged open and he heard Jackson’s voice echo through the tiled walls.

“Can’t you give me a second, hyung?” Jisung growled, annoyed. He turned off the water and grabbed his towel to dry himself. After he put on a fresh shirt and sweatpants, he padded out of the shower stall and grimaced when he saw Jackson but said nothing.

Jackson, on the other hand, didn’t look all too pleased either. “I don’t what the hell that was out there, kid,”

“It was what it was.” Jisung walked past the senior without even sparing a glance at him and headed to his locker. It was a good thing that the room was empty; the other fighters were probably by the bleachers to watch the second match of the night. Or maybe, they were just avoiding Jisung because he defied his Sponsor’s Order.

“But you _are_ aware of this club’s policy?” Jackson frowned deeply while he followed Jisung from behind.

“Yeah.”

“And you _still_ defied the Order?”

“Yes, I did.” Jisung gritted out and he yanked his locker door open to pull out his duffel bag. He knew the implications of defying a Sponsor’s Order; defiance meant that Jisung technically did not provide what they paid for to see and that was grounds for termination.

“For fuck’s sake, Han,” Jackson muttered and he pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. His mask was off and Jisung could very much see how frustrated he was. “you knew and you still defied?”

“I felt like it was wrong, okay?!” Jisung finally snapped. He slammed his locker door shut after he basically shoved all his belongings in his duffel bag. He turned to face Jackson, his gaze was hard and furious. “The guy was throwing up a surrender, hyung. He gave up and the Sponsor still threw an Execution order. Isn’t the shame enough?”

“He paid for it.”

“He can keep his money,” Jisung shook his head. “I can’t do this anymore.”

“You won’t be.” Jackson sighed. “It’s your last match.”

Jisung nodded without another word while he sat on the bench to tie his shoelaces and zip up his bag.

“There’s one last thing, though,” The next thing Jisung knew, a paper bag was shoved towards him. “here.”

“What’s this, hyung?” Jisung looked up and gave the paper bag stamped with a designer clothing brand a suspicious look like they were full of poisonous snakes inside.

“Something nice to wear.” Jackson merely replied. “Lee Know requested a private audience with you.”

Jisung’s eyes widened. Suddenly, it became too hard to breathe while his heart hammered his ribs painfully. This was not happening. “What?”

“Did I stutter?” Jackson rolled his eyes.

Holy shit, it was really happening.

“But why?” Jisung asked. Was he going to get reprimanded? Was he in trouble? Will he get yelled at? What if this Lee Know was a powerful person who can dump his body in the Han river? Jisung bit his lower lip in worry and hesitation when Jackson just shrugged.

“There’s something else in there,” Jackson said instead.

When Jisung looked inside the paper bag, his eyes widened when he saw wads of cash inside. “But, why?”

“Final pay and the match’s Sponsor tip.” Jackson said as he looked at Jisung square in the eyes. “I pulled some strings so that the amount is whole. You’re currently jobless so that should be enough to cover for everything while you look for work.”

Dumbfounded at the act of kindness, Jisung bit his lower lip before he bowed to Jackson deeply in gratitude. “Thank you so much, hyung! I…I don’t know what I did to deserve this.”

That was when Jackson walked up to Jisung and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. The younger immediately stood straight with full attention.

“You’re a good kid, Han,” Jackson offered a small smile and a nod of approval. “I’ve been in this business for five years but I’ve never seen anyone who still had it in them not to be bought like that.” Jackson squeezed Jisung’s shoulder and nodded. “You deserve better than to be in a place like this.”

Jisung felt a lump clog his throat and he couldn’t find the right words, so instead, he just bowed his head again. “Good luck out there, Han. Don’t lose who you are.” With those final words, Jackson left Jisung alone in the locker room.

*

Jisung stood in front of the lavish black and gold double doors of one of the VIP backrooms. The outfit that Jackson gave him felt like it was especially tailored for Jisung because of how well it fit him. The soft and expensive cotton fabric felt smooth against his skin. He had the long sleeves of his cream-colored polo shirt folded up to his elbows and the first two buttons of his collar were undone to display his collarbones adored by a simple silver chain necklace. Jisung felt nervous because this was the first time that he was called in for a private audience and it was on his last day too; the universe is probably throwing a tantrum and Jisung was the unfortunate soul it decided to fuck over.

He took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves before Jisung sent three knocks on the door. There was a momentary silence before he heard the lock click and Jisung took at as his queue to enter. He stepped inside and the first thing that Jisung did was bow.

“Hello,” he forced the word out and was careful to make his tone sound polite. “my name is J.One. Thank you for inviting me tonight.”

“Hello, J.One.”

Jisung’s blood ran cold in his veins but that smooth but gentle voice sparked something in him that he can’t figure out. Slowly, he lifted himself to stand straight and finally laid eyes on his Sponsor. Lee know sat on the loveseat and even if he looked relaxed with his shapely legs crossed gracefully at the knee, he still had poise that radiated with silent authority. He looked stunning with his green silk open hanbok coat and the sharp collarbones that protruded against his porcelain skin exposed by the gold tank top. Like earlier, Lee Know still wore that lace mask that concealed the upper half of his face and Jisung felt his throat go dry when his eyes traveled on their own to gaze at those delicate lips…

“My face is up here.”

Jisung’s attention snapped up to meet the eyes behind the cat mask. His face was hot from the embarrassment of being caught staring at places he shouldn’t be, but it was impossible with the aura Lee Know emitted. Just who was this person?

“I’m sorry,” Jisung said and bowed his head again. He diverted the subject to get back on track. “for disobeying your Order during tonight’s match.”

“Sit, please.” Lee Know idly waved a hand towards the opposite loveseat from him. Jisung wordlessly complied after he muttered a quick thanks. “Champagne?”

Jisung watched when it was Lee Know who stood up from his seat right after Jisung took his. The other’s movement was quick but graceful and Jisung found that he couldn’t take his eyes off his Sponsor while he walked towards the tray and bucket laid out by one of the attendants earlier.

“I-…” Jisung was about to decline when he realized that he was _parched._ “Yes, please.”

The way his words came out didn’t sound as confident as Jisung hoped them to be. He can only hope that he didn’t exude that he was nervous. Lee Know wordlessly poured some champagne into two glasses and made his way to towards Jisung to hand him his glass. Being this close, Jisung felt a sense of familiarity when he saw his host up close. Maybe he was fatigued from the fight because he didn’t know whether his eyes were deceiving him or if he’s really seen Lee Know somewhere before.

“Thank you.” Jisung dipped his head in thanks as he accepted the glass. Lee Know gave a single nod and resumed his seat across him. He waited for Lee Know to take a drink from his glass first before Jisung drank his and he struggled not to appear to gulp down his champagne like an uncivilized rodent.

“You don’t need to apologize for anything.” Lee Know spoke each word with care. He paused to take another drink from his glass and Jisung watched quietly. He struggling to keep his mind focused and away from the distraction of the way those lips wrapped around the rim of the glass.

“You only followed your conscience.”

“I did.” Jisung managed to keep his voice steady.

Lee Know studied the cold golden liquid in his glass with bored interest. “Even if it cost you this job?” A small challenging smile quirked on the corner of his lips. “It seems like a problem.”

A vein snapped but Jisung kept his cool. “Yes,” his tone was resolute. This Lee Know guy may be rich and powerful but Jisung wasn’t a push-over. He knew how to hold his ground especially when he was being belittled. “I knew this was going to happen, Mr. Lee. There will be other jobs.”

Lee Know scoffed softly and chuckled in amusement which cut Jisung off. “Is there a problem?” he gritted in annoyance.

“No,” Lee Know replied and he placed his glass down on the table between them. “the ‘mister’ just caught me off guard. I’m not used to being called that.”

“Then what are you called?” It was Jisung who challenged him this time and he let a small but humorless smile slide into his lips. “Boss? Or what about master?”

“Oh, please, ‘boss’ doesn’t have class plus it makes me sound old and I’m not sadistic enough to be called ‘master’.” Lee Know’s smile was slow and sly, the same one that he wore when he raised the crimson scarf during the match. “’Your highness’ is fine, though.”

A loud, surprised laugh escaped Jisung at that. Wow, this guy was _conceited_. He probably had house servants who bathed and dressed him. He didn’t know whether to be annoyed or impressed at the other’s attitude.

“It’s funny, isn’t it?” Lee Know’s smile was discreet while he took another drink. “I’m sick of it though.”

“Mr. Lee,…” Jisung began but quickly bit his tongue when his Sponsor visibly frowned. “…Lee Know,…” He sighed. “…your highness,” He just went with the flow because this private audience was turning out to be awkward and confusing. Besides, Jisung was still pissed that he lost his job and he just wanted to go home, listen to music, and sleep for the next three days.

“I don’t mean to be rude,” Jisung continued while he put down his empty glass on the table. “but why would you request an audience with me? I wasted your time and your Sponsorship earlier.”

The cold electricity that slid down Jisung’s spine when he first entered the room turned into something hot and molten in his core when he saw those dark eyes peer through the lace mask. He shuddered when he felt Lee Know’s gaze pierce through him. The other got up from his seat and walked towards the window that overlooked the glittering city skyline of Seoul.

“Considering that you are currently on the market,” Lee Know said while he continued to watch the glittering lights of the city. “I want to offer you a job.”

Jisung’s eyes widened and he straightened in his seat. His Sponsor offering him a job was the last thing that he expected from this private audience. He had expected to be yelled at and insulted, but be offered a job?

“What kind of job?” He dared ask.

“You see, someone tried to kill me last week.” Came Lee Know’s quiet reply but it was enough to make Jisung’s blood pound loudly in his ears. A million things ran through his mind ahead of the situation and he forced himself to calm down and let Lee Know continue his story. “The people at home have been trying to convince me to get a bodyguard but I couldn’t find anyone good enough to pick from their suggestions.”

In stunned silence, Jisung stared at Lee Know with about a hundred things in his mind but was only able to say: “So, you need a bodyguard and you think that _I’m_ good enough?”

“You catch on fast.” Lee Know turned from the window to face Jisung and smiled that slow Cheshire cat smile that made his breath hitch in his throat. “You wouldn’t be sitting in front of me if I didn’t think that you were, Han Jisung.”

Jisung’s heart dropped. He had no recollection of ever using his real name with Lee Know so how did the other find that out? How much did this guy know about him? Just who was this guy?

“How did you know my name?” Jisung forced out and struggled to keep his voice steady. All throughout his stay in Club MIROH, the only person he told his real name to was Jackson and the senior wasn’t the type to blow off his mouth.

“I have my ways.”

Jisung smiled at that but the smile came out tight and humorless. “Do I even want to know?”

“If you’re worried about the…” Lee Know paused for a moment to consider the next words with care. “…image of the organization you are being recruited in, then I assure you that it is very reputable.” He met Jisung’s eyes. “You will be well taken care of and handsomely compensated with benefits and hazard pay. The amenities of your shared dorm are the best in Korea and you will have a day off each week and be permitted to return to Incheon if you wish to visit your family for a maximum of 1 week.”

“So, you know where I came from too, huh?” Jisung frowned. “What else do you know?”

“Not a whole lot,” Replied Lee Know. “Maybe,” he looked Jisung in the eyes and tilted his head to the side in a gesture of interest. “you can tell me more about yourself if you agree to be my guard?”

There was silence while Jisung considered his options. Sure, Lee Know seemed like a conceited rich boy and Jisung was highly suspicious that there was a downside to his agreement, but the offer was just far too good for Jisung to pass up. “What’s the catch here?”

He didn’t get an answer right away and he patiently watched Lee Know refill his champagne flute. He refused when he was offered a refill, too anxious for the punchline.

“The catch,” Lee Know said after he took a drink. “is that one,” he held up a slender finger at Jisung. “it’s not as exciting as Club MIROH. You will basically be glued to me wherever I go from the beginning until the end of the day. And two,” a second finger. “you can get hurt or even die in order to protect me.”

Jisung visibly swallowed.

“But if it’s any comfort,” Lee Know continued. “you will undergo training. Your results will be monitored by your senior commanding officer and will be reported to me. You will also be working in a team.”

“A team, huh?” Well, that’s new. Since stepping into Seoul, Jisung had always been on his own.

Lee Know nodded. “My younger brother also has a bodyguard.”

He grabbed the bottle and poured himself another glass. The ice-cold fizz of the alcohol was a welcomed distraction while Jisung’s mind ran around in circles like it was on fire.

“Do I have to give an answer now?” Jisung asked and Lee Know shook his head with a soft chuckle. The sound was so gentle and airy that Jisung wasn’t sure if it was the champagne getting into his head.

“Of course not; you may have the week to think about it.” Lee Know placed his glass down after he finished the last of its contents and stood up in one fluid motion. He glanced at the silver watch around his left wrist to check the time. “Hm, I should be going.”

At this point, Jisung’s intrigue had reached new heights; he felt drawn to accept but he didn’t want to seem too easy. The mystery of this Lee Know person beckoned him like a moth to a flame and Jisung had enough champagne in his system to actually want to touch to see if he’ll get burned.

“Leaving already, Lee Know?” Jisung teased lightly when he also got up from his seat. “And here I was hoping you could answer my questions.”

An elegant brow arched over the black lace that lined the mask. “What questions?”

“Will you tell me your real name?” Jisung held that masked gaze with a smirk. The air in the room grew heavy with molten tension.

“And why should I do that?” Lee Know confidently challenged back with an arrogant tilt of his chin.

“I should at least know _who_ I’m dealing with.” Jisung shrugged. “Besides, I don’t think it’s fair that you know my name while I don’t know yours.”

That soft airy chuckle filled Jisung’s ears again and he felt goosebumps rise on his arms. He held back the shudder that didn’t come from fear or intimidation, but something else; something that made him want to reach out and rip that lace mask off.

He felt rooted on the ground when Lee Know made his way towards him without breaking the eye contact and by the time the other was in front of Jisung, his heartbeat was pounding loudly into his ears. Jisung noted their height difference, with Lee Know towering over him a good two or three inches. The soft scent of expensive perfume that smelled like spice and musk with a hint of flowers wrapped around him along with the heat that radiated between them. With a trembling breath, Jisung fought his instinct to turn his head and face Lee Know when the other leaned into his ear.

“You’re clever, Han Jisung,” Lee Know whispered lowly into the shell of Jisung’s ear and all his internal alarms went off in his head when all the blood traveled south. “I’m sure you can figure it out.” In a fleeting touch, Lee Know’s fingers slipped something into the breast pocket of Jisung’s polo shirt before he pulled away. With one last smile, Lee Know left the room without another word and Jisung felt his knees buckle the moment that the door clicked close.

*

The cold water felt like a welcomed slap when Jisung splashed his face on the sink of his apartment bathroom. The light flickered from the old LED bulb on the ceiling and the faint light from it cast shadows on Jisung’s face. He stared at himself in the bathroom mirror, his reflection splattered with flecks on the surface of the that have long been flaked off.

He knew he had to decide in the next few days, but it wasn’t like he had much of a choice. If he wanted to stay in Seoul, then he would have to find a way to make a living. He can always go back home to Incheon to be with his mother and older brother, but he didn’t know if he would be welcomed back; he did run away to chase his dream in the wind anyway. He left against his mother’s wishes and when he tried to call them during Chuseok, it just kept ringing until the call just dropped.

Jisung pushed himself off the sink and padded out of the bathroom after he patted his face dry with a towel. He went to where he hung his dirty clothes on a folding chair and flapped out the polo shirt twice to snap out the dust and lint before he put them in the hamper to be washed. When he did, something flew out of the breast pocket and landed by Jisung’s foot.

He bent down to pick it up and examine it; it was just a plain black card, the same one that someone handed to a client or a peer that contained their name and contact information. But why would he have this-

“Oh,” Jisung breathed when he remembered that Lee Know slipped something in his pocket at the club earlier. He quickly scanned the card but frowned when he saw that it was just black. He checked the back too but saw that it was just as empty. “Tch.”

Well, that was disappointing. Was Lee Know just pulling his leg? And Jisung actually believed him! What an asshole-…

The internal rants halted the moment Jisung was about to chuck the card in the trash when the surface of the card glimmered with something when the light hit it at a certain angle. He paused and stared at the card as if he was expecting it to come to life. When Jisung turned it an angle to hit the light again, he saw a faint image.

“A lenticular calling card?” Jisung muttered. He strode to the old bed in one corner of the room and rummaged through his duffel bag that sat on the old mattress to look for his phone. Then, he turned on the flash at the back and shone it on the card before he turned it at an angle again.

An image appeared along with a single phone number at the bottom and Jisung’s mouth fell open in shock when he recognized it.

It was the seal of the royal family of South Korea.

“No…way…” Jisung muttered. His mind buzzed with a million things and at the same time, nothing, from being dumbfounded by the discovery. “NO FUCKING WAY!” he ended up yelling. “This is a dream, this is all a dream…!” He turned the card again and surely, the image of the tiger that held a sword by the hilt with its powerful jaw stared back at him like a predatory enigma.

“Lee Know…” Jisung said once. “Lee… holy shit, _Lee_? As is king Lee Jinhee?!” He quickly turned off the flash on his phone and opened his search engine before he typed in the search bar. Articles and profiles all popped out in a long endless list;

** Royal Family of South Korea (Profiles Updated!) – worldroyals.com **

** Royal Palace of Seoul: A Masterpiece Preserved Through Time – wondersofasia.org **

** Lee Felix (@brownieprince) – Instagram  **

** Leaders of Tomorrow: 2020’s Top 20 Most Influential Millennials and Gen Z’s: Prince Yongbok ‘Felix’ Lee – hourmagazine.com **

** BREAKING NEWS: Assassination Attempt on Crown Prince Lee Minho of South Korea - skznews. ** **sk**

_“You see, someone tried to kill me last week.”_

Jisung’s blood ran cold when Lee Know’s words replayed in his mind. He immediately clicked on the link and that led him to the news website that had the article. As Jisung read through the news article and the details like how the incident occurred at the Hwang Family estate during a charity auction of priceless artworks, a photo of Lee Minho appeared.

Oh my god, he’s _handsome_.

The next king of their kingdom had always been a quiet presence. He did not appear much in front of the camera except for royal and public functions. Lee Minho wasn’t like his younger brother who had the media and the whole internet wrapped around his finger. It was probably why Jisung forgot that there was even a crown prince. That candid photo of Lee Minho while he smiled for the cameras and while he stood poised beside the king was a good look.

Jisung sat on his bed and let his upper body drop on the mattress. He stared at the off-white ceiling with its flaking paint and water stains while he absorbed the realization that his Sponsor Lee Know and the crown prince Lee Minho is the same person.

Han Jisung was being recruited by _the_ crown prince himself to be his royal guard. This was either going to be the best or worse decision of his life. Jisung took the card and let the light shine on the lenticular surface.

And the next thing he knew, he was dialing the number on his phone. His thumb hovered over the call icon and Jisung bit his lower lip in hesitation. Was he really up for this? Did Prince Minho really see something in him? Him, Han Jisung, a disobedient son who left his hometown of Incheon to chase a dream that slipped right through his fingers? A rookie fighter who used to be employed in a questionable place and made a living through blood sports?

_“You wouldn’t be sitting in front of me if I didn’t think that you were, Han Jisung.”_

The familiar voice who Jisung now knew belonged to the crown prince, filled his thoughts.

“It wouldn’t hurt to try,” he told himself with a heavy and nervous sigh. Then, like his mantra, he said; “Fuck it.” Then he tapped on the call button.

Jisung’s heart hammered against his chest like a trapped animal clambering to escape. His mind was filled with white noise and racing thoughts and the flaking ceiling above him looked so high up.

“Hello?”

A male voice answered in English; the single word spoken with an accent that Jisung had heard in movies before. Was that an Australian accent? Did Lee Minho give him a dupe number and he ended up calling overseas? Holy shit, his phone bill is going to balloon like crazy.

“Uhm, hello?” Jisung sat up and nervously answered in English as well. “My name is Han Jisung and-…”

“We’ve been expecting your call but not this soon.” The voice immediately switched to Korean and Jisung reeled back, stunned.

“O-Oh, you can speak-…” Jisung bit back the words, quickly switching back to Korean. “I’m sorry to bother you this late but I was given this number by the,…” he hesitated, what if this was a prank? Will they really believe him if he said that that the crown prince gave him their number?

“Yes, we were informed.” The male cut in the other line. “My colleague and I watched your match earlier with his highness too. So, you’ve figured it out, huh?”

“Yes.” Well, there goes Jisung’s dignity.

“Have you made your decision or are you just checking if you really ended up calling someone abroad?” The guy on the other line sounded amused. His tone was light but Jisung kept his guard up. If this guy worked for the royal family then he would most likely work with him too once he gave his decision.

“For a moment there, I thought I did call overseas.” Jisung chuckled in hopes of riding with the light mood. “Yes,” his tone was resolute. This was it; there’s no backing out from this. “I’ve decided to take up Lee Kn-…his highness’s offer.”

There was a silence on the other end and Jisung waited anxiously for an answer.

Finally, a reply came: The tone was final. “Alright. My name is Chris Bang, but you can call me Chan. I’ll be overseeing your training.”

The smooth purr of a car engine could be heard in the background and Jisung could tell that Chan was on the road. “So, Han Jisung. When can you start?”

“I can start tomorrow.” Jisung’s reaction was eager but he kept his tone professional.

“Great, I’ll let the crown prince know about your decision.”

**

After the call ended, Chan leaned back on the shotgun seat of the black SUV he rode in. The windows were rolled down halfway and he relished the feeling of the late night wind on his dark curls. The roads were clear at this time and Chan absolutely adored the laid back speed they were going.

“New roommate?” Changbin asked while he kept his hands steady on the steering wheel.

“New roommate.” Chan agreed.

There was a pregnant silence between the two royal guards. It was comfortable for Chan, but he can easily sense the dark mood that enveloped Changbin like a miasma.

“So, where do you plan to dump that one?” He asked while he jabbed a thumb to motion towards the back of the SUV where an occupied body bag laid.

“The usual spot,” Changbin replied simply. “I’ll make it look like an accident.”

“How did you find him?”

“I was on the way back to the dorms and noticed that the security camera in that area was deactivated. When I found him, he was climbing on the vine ladders underneath Felix’s window.” Changbin replied darkly, knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel hard.

"Did you kill him?"

Changbin shook his head. "I was going to but he took his own life when he realized that he couldn't get away from me. Fast acting poison."

A sigh from the elder; of course the assassin would take his secrets to the grave. Chan wondered what punishment awaited failure that they would rather die.

"Sungjin-hyung will be expecting a report first thing in the morning. I won't envy you but I can help you if you want." 

The royal guards have a secret protocol that if an assassin is caught within the premises of the palace, they are to be eliminated quietly and disposed of. It only stayed within the Commanders, the guards involved and the king. The media would be at the royal family's necks again if they found out. 

"Thanks, hyung, but yeah, I don't mind making the report. To think that he was that _close_ already. If I only I noticed it earlier,” he sighed heavily. “If I was a second too late, Felix would be…”

“Binnie,” Came Chan’s firm voice. “calm down, you got the guy, alright? Felix is okay. He’s asleep in his bed and probably having sweet dreams about you.”

Changbin was quiet. “He’s dreaming lies then,” he smiled bitterly. “there’s nothing sweet to dream about me.”

“He is heads over heels in love with you, Changbin. I’m sure he’s dreaming about a nice house by the ocean where he can bake you brownies and dance with you barefoot on the sand while the sun sets.” He mused. “Maybe two dogs and a cat?”

“Sounds nice.”

Chan turned back to the open window and passed the speeding scenery. “Will you ever tell him about you?”

Another silence filled the car and Chan wondered if he crossed a line, but he knew Changbin; he was better person now than how he was before when Chan first recruited him.

“There’s nothing to tell.” Changbin finally said, the cold night air ruffling end tips of his black hair that fell over his side undercut. “I’m not that kind of person anymore.”

“Indeed.” A few more miles in silence and they neared Changbin’s ‘spot’ which was in the outskirts of Seoul nearing Suwon.

“Why Felix?” Changbin suddenly broke the silence in the car. “I understand why someone would try to kill Minho-hyung because he’s the next king, but Felix doesn’t even want the throne.”

“Because Felix is the spare,” Chan replied grimly. “If Minho is killed then Felix automatically becomes king and that’s still a Lee on the throne.”

“I’ve tapped some old contacts from the underground to keep an eye out on any suspicious activities.” Changbin’s words were low. He may have left that life behind but that doesn’t mean that he didn’t have friends who were his eyes and ears around Seoul. “I’ll let you know if something comes up.”

He glared at the passing scenery; his gaze so dark that the loveable Chan his friends adored wasn’t there. “Someone is trying to get rid of the main royal bloodline. Whoever this is, doesn’t want the Lee clan to hold the throne. It doesn’t matter which prince dies first as long as they both do.”

“They can all burn in hell. I’m not going to let them lay a hand on my Bokkie.”

“How are you going to explain those to Felix, by the way?” Chan gestured at the other’s split lip and the scraped skin of his knuckles he got from the struggle of taking down the assassin.

The long minutes passed while Changbin racked his mind for an excuse. If it can be helped, as ordered by the king, these secret assassinations were also kept from the princes to spare them from distress. “You know what?” He finally said. “I have no idea. Could you cover for me, hyung?”

“It won’t be free,” Chan smirked.

The younger guard scoffed and rolled his eyes. “And here I thought that you were nice. You’re just going to exploit me.”

“I’m a nice guy,” Chang chuckled and shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling underneath the black hoodie he wore. “but a favor’s a favor and they aren’t free.”

“How about I write full lyrics for your new song?” Changbin offered.

The elder hummed, unconvinced.

“I’ll hand it over by the end of the week.”

“Wednesday.”

Changbin shot him a glare at the ridiculous deadline. “Friday.”

“Thursday.” Chan smiled.

“Fine, Thursday, then.” Changbin sighed but then he was distracted when Chan let out a soft, dark chuckle. “What’s so funny?”

“The lyrics are for your lip.” Chan replied. “What about the scrapes on your hands?”

“Dude, come on, that’s not fair!” Changbin whined and Chan burst out into little giggles. “Okay, I’ll buy you iced Americano for the whole week.”

But Chan’s teasing was mercilessly unrelenting. “Sure, coffee for the right, but what about the left one?”

“Oh, fuck you, hyung!”


	6. Passing Seasons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO. HAHAHHA I'm back ffs. I don't know guys, I've just been writing like mad while I still had free time but this week surely will be busy so I want to leave you with a long chapter to keep you company. If last chapter there was sexual tension, this chapter has FLUFF. 
> 
> By the way, thank you very much to all the left lovely comments! You guys truly encourage me, you know? (I know you know lee know). Anyway, everyone's here and the elements have been set so we can now totally move on with the story! I hope you enjoy this update. I don't know when I'll be back but I'll try to update again soon! 
> 
> By they way, there's a moodboard for the story on my twt: https://twitter.com/lightoflunaris/status/1327465932294221825

The early morning was cold while Jisung waited in front of his apartment building. Well, _former_ apartment building. The pick-up didn’t happen until the day after tomorrow after he got another call from his supposed ‘future colleagues’. This time, it wasn’t Chan, but someone who introduced himself as Seo Changbin and he informed Jisung to ‘wrap everything up’.

Apparently, there was no need for Jisung to stay in his old rundown apartment because he would be residing in the royal security dorms already…

Which was in the royal estate.

Jisung was ecstatic and nervous as fuck at the same time.

He sighed and his breath fogged up in front of his face. It would get warmer during the day but right now, it was freezing. After he pulled down his beanie to cover the tips of his ears, Jisung craned his neck to peer down the street and then at the opposite side to see if there were any signs of life. Of course, being that it was only 5:30 in the morning, there weren’t any, except for the old folks who were early risers.

Then, he spotted a black SUV drive up from the street and stopped right in front of him. The driver’s side window rolled down and Jisung was met with a guy dressed in a black uniform suit. His black tie was pulled down slightly and his undercut framed his sharp face. His eyes were dark when he looked at Jisung as if sizing him up.

“Hey,” he nodded once and Jisung returned the greeting with a small bow.

“Hello.” When he lifted his head again, he spotted the pin the other guy wore; it was the same in the image on the lenticular calling card which was the coat of arms of the royal family.

“Han Jisung,” Came another voice and Jisung heard the shotgun door open and close. Jisung watched as a tall guy dressed in a similar fashion got out of the car and walked around it with confidence in his steps. He stood in front of Jisung and smiled at him that reached his eyes which crinkled at the corners. He looked so genuine that Jisung felt comfortable.

“I’m Christopher Bang.” He held out a hand towards Jisung. “We spoke on the phone.”

“Yes,” Jisung took Chris-…Chan’s hand and shook it quickly paired with a quick bow of his head. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” When Jisung’s eyes fell on Chan’s pin, he saw the three stars over the emblem of the tiger and remembered that he will be his senior. Then, he remembered when Lee Know told him back at the club that his younger brother also had a guard. That was when he looked at the guy behind the wheel again who watched them quietly.

“Seo Changbin.” He simply said when Chan glanced at the other guard. He didn’t get out of the car but held out a hand through the open window which Jisung also shook politely. “You did a great match. I hope that we can work together well.”

“I’ll do my best.” Jisung nodded eagerly. “Thank you for the opportunity.”

“No need to be so formal,” Chan laughed and patted Jisung on the shoulder which bewildered him. Chan was so friendly that Jisung wondered if this guy really worked directly under the royal family. He always thought that royal guards were scary and intimidating. Well, Seo Changbin emitted that aura so maybe Jisung’s hunch wasn’t all wrong.

“And the opportunity came from the crown prince, not us.” Chan added helpfully with a smile.

Jisung quietly gulped. Chan was right; the opportunity _only_ came from the crown prince of South Korea and the heir to the throne of their kingdom who happened to be also godly hot and made Jisung question his existence but yeah, no pressure.

“Let me help you with your stuff.” Jisung snapped out of his racing thoughts when Chan gestured at the two full duffel bags on the ground by his feet. At that, Changbin pressed a button on the dashboard and the trunk of the vehicle popped open. Before Jisung could refuse politely, Chan already hauled up one of his bags and walked towards the back and he followed quickly by carrying his other bag.

The upholstery of the seats felt like luxury synthetic clouds underneath Jisung’s ass. He stared wide-eyed at the polished seats and the little compartments. He was almost tempted to press the buttons he saw to see what they did but he held control and kept his fingers tightly laced together over his lap.

“Ready?” Chan asked from the front and Jisung caught Changbin’s eyes watching him on the rearview mirror.

Jisung was terrified; he was going head-first into a life that he never expected he would have. He, a small-town boy from the city of Incheon who ran away from home to chase a dream of roaring stadium crowds and his hand being raced in victory. He turned his head watched his rundown apartment building that served as his home for that past year and a half he had been here in Seoul, get smaller as the car drove away.

“Nervous?” Changbin while he gently stepped on the breaks when they reached an intersection before easing the car into the main highway.

“Very.” Jisung found himself replying. “This was not something I expected.”

“Honestly, us too,” the other guard replied and Jisung felt a pang of insecurity swallow him up. He suddenly felt small and thought he would rather face a guy thrice his size than feel inferior. Jisung didn’t take it as an insult but it was just that his self-confidence wasn’t always the best.

“But after that match a few nights ago?” Changbin continued. “I think you’ll do just fine. You just need some special training.”

“Special…training?” Jisung repeated.

“Well, yeah, we undergo special training different from the other recruits since we guard the members of the royal family.”

Then, it sank into Jisung’s brain after the haze of shock cleared out. “Oh, you’re prince Felix’s guard.”

He caught a sliver of a smirk on Changbin’s face. “Right.”

“So, you guys are the team the crown prince said I would be in.” Jisung breathed in disbelief. Talk about a welcome wagon, he was already being acquainted with his team, but he wasn’t even sure yet if he’s cut out for this.

“Aw, did Minho-hyung really say that about us?” Changbin’s smirk turned into a fond smile and Jisung’s eyes widened in disbelief. ‘Hyung’? They could call the crown prince ‘hyung’? He wondered if there was something he missed during primary school etiquette class in case they needed to address the royal family.

“Uhm, yes,” Jisung managed to reply. “he said that I will be in a team. I just didn’t…I’m sorry,” he shook his head. “but did you just call the crown prince ‘hyung’?”

“Yeah, he’s older than me,” Changbin shrugged while he stepped on the gas to accelerate the SUV to freeway speed. “but he’s younger than Chan-hyung.”

This time, it was Chan who spoke, and his tone held an amusement that further confused Jisung; “If you’re being cultured shock by what you’re hearing now, then prepare yourself when you meet Minho’s group of friends. Changbin and I don’t even know where to begin with them.”

“You all sound very close.” A smile appeared when a small sense of hope appeared in Jisung.

“We are but we never forget our duties and roles. We all kind of work together but we’re also good friends.” Chan pulled down the visor and looked at Jisung through the small mirror that was attached there, and he saw the same glint in those eyes that put Jisung at ease.

“ _Right_ , Changbin?”

The other guard just scoffed a quiet laugh.

Jisung sensed that there was something in that statement that he knew that he still didn’t have the right to know yet and he didn’t dare to ask because he did not want to overstep his boundaries on his first day of being recruited.

“Will I meet the crown prince today too?” Jisung found himself asking but then the air inside the car changed which made him regret asking the question. Was he too cocky? Did he sound too eager?

“Not yet,” Changbin replied. “you’re still trainee and trainees aren’t allowed to step foot into the palace grounds yet. You gotta earn the right to do that.”

“Changbin is right.” Chan agreed with his companion’s statement. “The implication is that if you are a fully-fledged royal guard then you offer your skills and loyalty to the royal family. The fact that you have stepped into the royal home means that you have the capability and willingness to protect them.”

Again, Jisung sensed that there was something unspoken there which was something he already figured out because of what Lee Minho told him;

_“You can get hurt or even die in order to protect me.”_

When the car slowed down and fully stopped when they reached a red light, Chan took the opportunity to turn towards the back seat. “Here,” he held out something towards Jisung. There, on his wide palm, was the silver pin of the royal court of arms of the Lee clan, the tiger on the prowl while it held a sword by the hilt between its jaws. The three stars that formed an arch over the beast glinted when it caught the faint light of the sun as it rose in the morning sky.

“If you do well in your training and have pledged your loyalty to the royal family then, you will be given this to wear.” Chan said while he let Jisung take his pin from his palm to examine it.

The material was cool to the touch when Jisung took it from Chan’s palm and the car was on the move again. He stared at the pin and realized how intricate the carving of the emblem was and the surface had faint scratches from being meticulously polished which meant that Chan had had this pin for a long time. Moreover, it felt heavy as Jisung turned it carefully between his fingers literally and figuratively. While the pin was probably platinum-plated, the stars were actual gold, it also bore the weight of the responsibility of being the royal family’s protector.

“It feels priceless.” Jisung said contemplatively when he handed the pin back to Chan who took it and re-attached it to the lapel of his suit jacket.

“Yeah,” Chan agreed. “it’s got its value. Only guards who personally oversee the protection of the royal family are given that to wear.”

Jisung’s eyes widened and he stared back at the two pairs of eyes that watched him carefully on the mirrors. So, only the elite guards had the right to wear this? That thought consequently made his palm throb where he held the pin earlier as if he held a block of lead fresh from the furnace.

“Do you think you have what it takes?” Changbin smiled tightly; a silent challenge.

A huff of disbelief escaped Jisung after he let himself slump against the backrest of his seat. You mean this was an elite job? Just, what was Lee Minho thinking? Jisung can’t do this, he can’t even keep a job in a sleazy club and had won only one match with the help of a Sponsor yet, the crown prince himself recruited him for such an elite profession?

“You look pale, Jisung.” Chan said with concern.

“Do you think we scared him?” Changbin asked.

“I’m- Jisung gulped in air. “I’m not scared!” It came out high pitched but who wouldn’t be? “I just need a minute to absorb all of this.”

“If you want to reconsider-…” Chan slowly began but Jisung’s head snapped up.

“No, I will not back out.” He quickly interrupted. “The crown prince asked me himself,” he said, breathless. “if he saw something in me that I couldn’t see, then I’ll trust him and do my best.”

In front, Chan and Changbin exchanged silent looks and Chan give a subtle nod at Changbin.

Han Jisung just passed the first of many tests to come.

*

*

*

** Two months later **

Minho mindlessly scrolled through his fake social media account that he used to surf the internet. Felix had been telling him to make an Instagram account already that was actually him and not aesthetic pictures of cats. Seungmin also said that if he was going to win the people’s hearts, he should heed his brother’s advice and not stay within the mold of what tradition wanted him in. He considered it and Felix agreed to plug in his account once he makes it so that people will follow him.

“Where are we going?” On the side mirror of the car he rode shotgun in, Minho spotted the standard black SUV that followed them close behind that had his guards that were assigned for them that week. Unfortunately, Chan wasn’t there to escort him on his little shopping trip with the ambassador’s son.

“We are going to pick up Innie from the university dorms and then we’re going to help him shop for clothes for his panel defense,” Hyunjin replied. “And _then_ we’re going to have brunch.”

“You could have gone without me.” Minho replied when he lowered his phone on his lap and watched the mansions of the royal suburb turn into concrete, steel, and glass buildings while they headed into the city proper.

“You’ve been cooped up inside the palace for god-knows-how-long, hyung.” Hyunjin sighed. “You need some fresh air.”

“There’s fresh air in the garden.”

“And actual human interaction.”

“Touché.”

Hyunjin grinned at his little victory while he drove at an acceptable speed. Minho rarely hung out with Hyunjin, mostly because the younger was also starting to take over duties as the future ambassador of the country. He’d been traveling a lot with his father to learn the ropes for when the time comes that he needed to take up the pedestal to be South Korea’s representative of peace to the world.

“You’ve been gone longer than usual last month.” Minho pointed out from missing his friend who was gone for a whole month prior when he accompanied Ambassador Hwang to South America. “How was Brazil?”

“It’s beautiful there, hyung.” Hyunjin smiled at the memory. “Their beaches just… wow, you know? I have no words for it. We should plan a trip there sometimes.”

“And the union talks?”

With that question from Minho, Hyunjin dramatically rolled his eyes. “Hyung, if we’re going to talk about work then I’m going to drop you off at the next curb and you can ride with the guards.”

“You’re so fussy, Hyunjin.” A shook of his head from the crown prince. “I was just asking.”

“We’re here to relax, hyung. We could at least talk about something that’s not about work and royal crap.”

“Like what?” Minho asked with a frown and the younger became quiet while he thought of another topic.

“Hm,” Hyunjin eased the breaks when they reached traffic and put the car on neutral. He leaned his elbow on the bottom of his window while he tapped his lower lip. “Oh, how’s your royal guard doing?”

Minho’s mind went blank momentarily while he processed the question because it wasn’t something, he expected from Hyunjin. “He still has a month to go for training.”

“Who’s training him? Chan-hyung?”

“In some avenues, yeah.” Minho leaned back against the seat while he let his eyes wander over the boutiques and shops that lined the street they drove in. This was the luxury area of Seoul, but they had to go and fetch Jeongin first before they headed back. “Changbin helps too.”

“So, how’s that going?” Hyunjin asked. “I mean, is this guy good or what?”

“His performance had significantly improved compared to when he first arrived.” He drummed his fingers nervously on his lap. “But Chan and Changbin can only do so much.”

This time, Hyunjin turned to look at him when he sensed the tone of worry in Minho’s tone. “What do you mean?”

“The final evaluation will come from Sungjin-hyung and then the approval will come from my father.”

“Holy shit.” Hyunjin breathed out the words in disbelief. Minho sighed visibly at that.

“All my choices are subject to someone else’s approval.” Minho shook his head grimly. “My college major, my projects, fuck, even the royal guard I chose…”

“I mean, I do get it, though.”

Minho arched a brow at Hyunjin with a deep frown on his face. The younger didn’t answer the quiet question since he put the car on drive, and they were on the way again when he steered into the intersection that led to Seoul University. “Do enlighten me.”

“The projects are for the people, hyung,” Hyunjin responded seriously. “since it involves the public, your dad would have to see that it is fit for their wellbeing. And your guard is for _your_ own good so of course, Sungjin-nim and the king would have to make sure that this guy can really protect you well.”

He sulked further because Hyunjin was right. “What if they don’t approve?”

“Hey, don’t say that, hyung. Didn’t you just say that… ah…” Hyunjin paused. “what’s his name again?”

“Han Jisung.” The name easily slid past Minho’s lips as if he’s said it countless times before.

“Right,” the younger nodded. “you did say that his performance is good, right? And from what you’ve been telling me, Chan and Changbin like him too.”

“Yes.” Minho replied. One of the best plot twists of this crazy idea so far was that Changbin, Chan, and Jisung got along with their musical tastes. A week after recruitment, Changbin marched into his study with the biggest grin on his face and went on and on about how Jisung wrote the lyrics for the last part of Chan’s song and everything fit the beat so well. Not only was Han Jisung a great fighter, he was also a gifted lyricist and he can rap so well.

“Yeah, see?” Hyunjin beamed in encouragement. They drove past the gates of Seoul University and turned towards the avenue where the dorms were located. “So, what’s the matter?”

Minho became quiet and just sighed while he looked out of the window to keep a lookout for Jeongin. So far, all he saw were people he didn’t know.

“Hyung?” Hyunjin asked softly.

“I just,” Minho began but found that he could not find the right words. He knew how he felt but he did not know how to put it into words and explain it to Hyunjin. Finally, he just shook his head; “It’s nothing, Hyunjin,” he offered a sad smile. “you’re right.”

“I am?”

“Yeah, I shouldn’t worry.” Minho continued. “There’s no reason I should be anxious about this.”

The car fell silent again.

“Okay,” The younger finally said when he eased the car into a stop in front of Jeongin’s dorm. Behind them, the security vehicle stopped as well. “but if you ever want to talk about it, you can always tell me, hyung. You,” he said as he squeezed the steering wheel. “you don’t have to bear everything on your own. We’re here for a reason.”

He quietly considered those words. Minho wanted to tell Hyunjin that everything he did must be calculated and precisely perfect. As the future king, he can’t make mistakes. He was afraid of making mistakes that would tarnish the royal family’s name.

“Thanks, Hyunjin.” Minho gave a small smile and beside him, Hyunjin frowned worriedly but merely nodded and did not push the subject more. “Oh, there’s the brat.”

Jeongin stood on the front steps of the dorm while he talked to some of his classmates. Hyunjin honked once to get their youngest’s attention and Minho rolled down the window.

“Innie!” He called. “Get in, we’re going shopping!”

“Hyung, you came along!” Jeongin waved happily while beside him, his classmates stared at Minho with wide eyes and slacked jaws. When they remembered their manners, the kids collectively bowed together uttering a ‘your highness!’.

Jeongin happily ran down the steps and headed to the car and one of his classmates took out her phone and started to snap photos and take videos while the others followed suit. Seeing the crown prince like this was a rare sight, like seeing an idol or celebrity. Minho smiled at them and gave a little wave followed by finger heart before he rolled up the window again when Jeongin got into the car.

Smile and wave, just smile and wave and look nice.

“I feel like people are going to mob you when you get back.” Hyunjin commented dryly while Jeongin just shrugged.

“It’s going to be ironic,” he said while he clipped on his seatbelt and Hyunjin started to drive. “those are the same people who called my history paper a lie when I told them that my sources were taken from the royal archives from the palace. Slap to the face.”

“Do they give you a hard time?” Minho asked when he looked at Jeongin from the front seat. “Are those the same classmates that dragged you to MIROH?”

“Huh? No.” Jeongin shook his head vigorously. “I haven’t seen those kids since that night. I just heard that they transferred.” He beamed happily. “So, where are we going shopping? Can we eat somewhere nice?”

Minho and Hyunjin glanced at each other before breaking into hopeless chuckles; they can never say no to their youngest.

“We’re going to the shopping district,” Hyunjin said while they exited the university grounds and took the road to the main highway. “and then we’re going to eat wherever you want because Minho-hyung is paying.”

“What?!” Minho snapped in surprise.

“Yes!” Jeongin cheered from the backseat.

“Why me?” Minho demanded.

“Because you’re the one with the Black Card here.” Hyunjin smiled mischievously. “How does seafood sound, Innie?”

“Great!” The youngest cheered from the backseat and Minho sighed with a hidden smile.

*

*

“His evaluation scores had been low for the past two weeks.” Minho suddenly broke the silence in the coffee shop that he and Seungmin often frequented whenever they decided to go out for coffee. The shop had a garden theme to it. The walls were covered with pastel wallpaper and elegant vine stencils. There were small flower arrangements on each table as a centerpiece and the ambiance of the café from the lighting reminded Minho of spring which had already passed. There weren’t a lot of people in the shop considering that it was one of the older shops in that part of Seoul that’s somewhat left behind by the trend of young people nowadays and not a lot of people knew about it. The patrons were mostly the people who lived in that area and older people who met up with old friends, read books, or did crossword puzzles.

Minho was disguised well enough that people don’t recognize him without his hair pushed back to reveal the signature angles on his face and he wore a simple long-sleeved with a sports brand print and denim jeans that had rips on the knees. He wore his glasses today paired with a black surgical mask that was currently pulled down to his chin while he sipped his iced Americano and read Chan’s email on his phone. They were also in the farthest table where people wouldn’t pay mind to them. Minho cherished these quiet moments because they were normal, and it was rare for Minho to actually feel normal in public. Of course, there was a black SUV parked on the other side of the street and bodyguards wandering around the premises wearing civilian clothing. The guard assigned to Minho that week, Yoon Dowoon, sat on the table that was nearest to the door so that he could watch the people who come in and out of the café.

Dowoon was part of Sungjin’s team, meaning, he was one of the guards that protected the king. Of course, one wouldn’t be able to tell because the loose short-sleeved shirt underneath the soft denim jacket, boots, and worn jeans said otherwise. When Minho peeked through his lashes and his bangs that brushed his eyes, he noticed that Dowoon glanced at them from his phone from time to time while he enjoyed a slice of strawberry shortcake and iced tea.

Minho liked Dowoon when he’s not being all businesslike and fussy. They played League of Legends sometimes and the guy was a god at it. He often crushed Minho in defeat, but he was fine with it because Minho enjoyed playing with him.

“Was it a break in the usual trend?” Seungmin stopped typing on his keyboard and leaned back against his chair.

“Yes,” Minho replied and passed his phone to Seungmin who sat across him from the table so that the younger can read the evaluation sheet. “they kind of went down when the final stage of his training began.”

Seungmin’s eyes snapped up from the screen to stare at Minho. “Oh, you mean…?”

“It’s Sungjin-hyung whose mentoring him now.”

A quiet and shaky laugh escaped Seungmin along with a nervous smile. “Remember when Changbin tried to punch Sungjin-hyung when he was a trainee and ended up with a sprained shoulder?”

Minho shuddered at the memory. “Yeah, Sungjin-hyung is really cool but holy fuck he can be really scary.”

“Chan-hyung can be too,” Seungmin said as a matter of fact.

“Yeah,” A quick nod from Minho while he took another sip of his Americano. “he almost decked someone at Club MIROH when they wouldn’t tell me how to place a sponsorship. I think it’s a royal commander thing, you know?”

Seungmin heaved a quiet breath and returned Minho’s phone to him. “Sounds like Sungjin’s giving your friend a hard time.”

Friend. Minho’s attention was caught by that. “Maybe I should do something to encourage him?”

He was met by a pair of curious eyes when Seungmin watched him. Minho unwaveringly held that gaze with equal curiosity. “What?” frowned the crown prince.

“You want to do something for _him_?” The younger repeated the former statement. “As in, something nice?”

“And yes, something nice. Is something wrong with that? I’m responsible for his recruitment and part of the reason he’s going through that kind of hell. I might as well encourage him.” Minho poked the bits and pieces of his puff pastry on his plate with a fork

A scoff of disbelief escaped from Seungmin and shook his head while he chuckled. He ignored Minho when the other shot him a confused glare and merely took a sip of his iced coffee.

“You’re getting annoying again.” Minho muttered.

“Just in shock.” Seungmin put his cup back down on the table. “I thought you enjoyed watching others suffer.”

“Just you,” Minho smirked but Seungmin just gave a soft ‘tch’ and rolled his eyes at the elder. “And maybe Hyunjin, but mostly you.”

“Keep trying then.” Seungmin’s smile was discreet but arrogant. This time, it was Minho’s turn to smile and roll his eyes and he took a moment to take another sip of his coffee. He thought about what he should do; call and ask how things are going? No, he doesn’t have Jisung’s number. Maybe he could ask Chan or Changbin since the three of them live together but that would be awkward, and Minho didn’t want them to get the wrong idea.

Visit? He can, but then that would just be weird especially that he had no business in the security dorms. Felix’s sneaking out to spend the night with Changbin was understandable since they’re dating and all. Besides, someone was bound to look for Minho at the palace and notice that he’s missing.

Minho’s eyes wandered around the café to watch the people that were there. No one looked suspicious and if there were, Dowoon would have noticed it first. In front of him, Seungmin cut a piece of his cake to eat before he returned to typing whatever he was doing on his laptop.

Then, it hit him.

“Seungmin, you are a fucking genius!” Minho hissed and the other looked up at him, confused.

“What the hell did I do?” He asked but Minho just ignored him and tapped his phone screen to open his chat window with Chan.

*

It was midnight and the palace had gone to sleep at 10 PM since that was the time that the staff headed back to the dorms. Minho had been in the kitchen for 2 hours now while he struggled to keep the cream cheese from splashing all over. The apron he wore wasn’t enough to protect his hoodie from the stains since he kept getting the cream everywhere and even spilled the first batch he made. Minho growled under his breath and questioned why he ended up doing this in the first place.

Minho never saw himself as useless even if the people around him mostly did everything for him and that kind of robbed him of basic home economic skills while growing up. He could do this; he just needed some more practice. He tapped on the toggle button on the tutorial video he was watching and when he pressed play, Felix’s recorded voice filled the kitchen.

“Welcome to Felix’s kitchen!” Felix said cheerfully in the video. “Today, I’ll be teaching you guys a simple New York Cheesecake recipe. Let’s get started with the ingredients that we’ll need.” Minho squinted his eyes in focus while he scanned the video towards the part that he kept getting wrong.

The video had ten million views and Minho wondered how many suffered like him and made a mess in the kitchen too. Minho was a neat guy and he worked clean, but the kitchen looked like a warzone right now with cream cheese splattered on the marble counter instead of blood.

“What’s the speed supposed to be?” Minho whined into the empty kitchen. “Uhg, you could’ve mentioned which number is ‘medium speed’ in the mixer, Bokkie.”

“It’s number two, hyung.”

Minho jumped and fought back a scream when Felix’s deep voice came from the doorway, overpowering the one in the video. The younger prince had a small smirk on his lips and his eyes glistened with interest.

“I’m really flattered that you’re using my videos,” Felix walked in the kitchen happily and regarded the mess in the kitchen. “but you look like you need help.”

“Yes,” The word came out tightly from Minho since he didn’t really like bothering people with his problems. However, he was desperate right now. At this rate, he’d be wasting so much cream cheese that the head chef might murder him in his sleep. “I really need your help here.”

“What was that?” Felix tilted his head to the side with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“I really need my five-star Michelin chef brother to help me out of this bind.” Minho sighed in defeat and Felix nodded, satisfied. He grabbed a clean and folded apron that was kept in one of the cupboards and tied it around his slender waist.

“Alright, let’s see…” Felix hummed while he pushed his sleeves back. “yeah, this is really bad.”

Minho groaned at that. “Please don’t rub it in.”

“At least tell me that you did the crust right.”

Walking to the other side of the counter, Minho took the round cake pan with a removable bottom. It was lined with crushed graham biscuits held together with melted butter and he showed it to Felix. The inner side of the pan was also lined with parchment paper already just like in the tutorial video.

“Hm, this looks good.” Felix nodded when he took a clean spoon and tapped the hardened crust. “That means less work for us. We can focus on the filling and the sauce more.”

“Okay,” Minho nodded and placed the pan back where he got it. “what do we do now?”

“Let’s do the cream cheese filling now,” the younger prince replied. “I’ll guide you on what to do.” A satisfied sigh. “This is Felix Yongbok Lee’s turf now.”

“You just want to order me around.” Minho grimaced. “So, you better enjoy it because this isn’t going to happen again.”

The younger prince just smiled innocently.

An hour later, the New York Cheesecake was happily baking in the heat that was left in the oven after Felix turned it off. Minho focused on crushing the microwaved berries through a strainer where it collected into a puree in a bowl. “Am I doing this right?”

After wiping his hands with a clean towel when he put the last of the spoons back into the UV sterilizer, Felix went over and checked Minho’s work.

“Yes, that’s good, hyung,” He smiled. “but do a circular pressing motion instead of grinding the berries against the strainer. You’re making puree, not grating cheese.”

“Okay, your highness.”

Felix snorted back a laugh and leaned on the counter with his elbows propped up. He rested his chin on his palm while he watched his older brother. “This is for Jisung, isn’t it?”

The puree stopped dripping into the bowl when Minho froze. Slowly, he turned to look at his brother and found Felix smiling knowingly at him.

“Binnie told me that you sent a message to Chan-hyung earlier,” Felix continued when Minho said nothing. “for some reason, you started talking about desserts and sneakily slipped out information about Jisung’s favorite dessert. Coincidentally, he likes cheesecakes.

When the younger batted those long dark lashes at him, Minho scoffed and rolled his eyes before he resumed making the raspberry puree.

“Don’t get any ideas.” Minho muttered. “It’s just that his performance has been falling since the final stage of his training with Sungjin-hyung started. This is just a little something to cheer him on.”

“Oh, damn,” Felix breathed. “Sungjin-hyung already took over?”

Minho nodded quietly while he tried to distract himself by working on the puree. Felix sighed and sat on one of the barstools on the counter.

“I heard from the guards that Sungjin-hyung nearly tore off Binnie’s arm.” Felix muttered. “I tried asking Binnie about it, but he said that it’s not true.”

“That’s what I heard too,” Minho replied, not confirming anything because it really did happen. Of course, he didn’t want to upset Felix about that. Even if it was two years ago, Felix still cared far too much about the people most important to him. “but, if it really was true, then I’m not surprised.”

“Oh?” Felix’s brows scrunched over his dark eyes. “Why?”

“Changbin’s temper used to be really bad, Bokkie,” Minho said. “I mean, he still has a temper and he’s scary when he gets mad, but it used to be worse before. You wouldn’t know because you were in Australia when he first arrived here.”

“Our guards are really going to be pushed to their limits, huh?” Felix sighed.

Minho merely agreed silently at that. “I have faith that Han Jisung will pull through though,” he said in a steady voice. “He’s faced a lot of people in matches before and some were even thrice his size, but a little encouragement is still important.”

“Aw, hyung,” Felix cooed. “you’re so sweet,”

“Uhg, shut up, I’m not,” Minho said after he finished the last of the puree. “I need Jisung so that people can stop annoying me about getting a royal guard and I don’t want to choose from the lists Chan-hyung gives me.”

“Admit it, you’re whipped.”

“What was that?” Minho turned to his brother.

“I asked if the cream is already whipped.” Felix repeated with an innocent frown.

“Oh, can’t we just use something from a can?” Minho answered. “My arms are tired.”

Felix just shrugged and pushed off from the counter to go to the stove where he was sterilizing a small glass jar by steaming it. It was where they were going to put the raspberry sauce for the cheesecake.

“Bokkie?” Minho began hesitantly but when Felix looked at him, he quickly averted his eyes and busied himself by wiping the mess he made on the counter with a kitchen towel. “I have another favor to ask.”

“Let me guess,” Felix sighed with a small knowing smile. “you need me to deliver the cheesecake to _your_ guard.”

Minho made an irritated sound of disgust. “You know what, never mind. I’ll ask Chan or Changbin.”

“Chan’s busy and if you entrust this to Binnie, I don’t think it would reach its final destination.” Felix subtly coerced his brother to change his mind. “I can do it. I’m going to the dorms tomorrow anyway.” When Minho looked at him questioningly, Felix just shrugged; “Binnie and I are going out to watch a movie tomorrow night. So, I might as well be the one to fetch him and drop your cake off. Besides, I want to personally meet Jisung anyway.”

“Thanks, Bokkie,” Minho sighed in relief. “you’re the best little brother a soulless, stressed out crown prince could ask for.”

The younger prince preened at the compliment. “I know.”

*

*

*

**One month later**

He met Lee Minho in the spring in the hot and sweaty arena in the bowels of Club MIROH.

They did not see each other at all in the summer. There were many times that he wanted to give up whenever training became hard and his body was filled with pain. He actually considered it, but he held on to the single thought that he could pull through because prince Minho believed in him. When Jisung first met prince Felix and he was given a cheesecake that the crown prince made himself, he was ecstatic and shocked because this person sounded so different from the one he met in MIROH. On the box was a small cream-colored envelope sealed with gold wax engraved with the cursive initials LM. The note was simple and direct to the point but Jisung held onto it and re-read it every time he felt like he couldn’t push through with being a trainee anymore.

_Han Jisung._

_I know that you are working very hard, but training is also difficult. It can plant the seeds of doubt in your mind, but I believed since the beginning that you have what it takes to achieve great things._

_I hope you enjoy this simple gift. My brother helped me make it._

_-Lee Minho._

Park Sungjin was brutal in his training but Jisung learned well from him and soon, his evaluation soared again.

*

It was a Saturday. The ginkgo leaves started to turn yellow and the air became cold when summer turned to autumn, Jisung watched with sweaty palms and ice-cold fingers while the king of South Korea signed his induction papers. He peeked through his lashes while he kept his head slightly bowed. The room was filled with a burnt scent when the king poured molten red wax on the thick cream-white paper before he pressed down a brass stamp of the royal seal on it.

“Han Jisung,” The king said as he stood up from his desk. As he was taught, Jisung straightened his back and kept a neutral expression. “you have performed well in your training and your evaluation scores speak for itself.”

“Thank you very much, your majesty.” Jisung bowed deeply in perfect posture. Never in his life had he thought to be in a moment like this. King Lee Jinhee was just someone he saw on TV, books, and in the news, but now, he stood in the royal study with the king in front of him.

Chan walked over to them while he carried a small silver tray and on it held Jisung’s induction papers snuggly tucked in a leather black book jacket. The royal coat of arms was etched on the front and lined with gold to match the edges of the leather in stark contrast. Beside it was a small velvet box and Jisung felt his heart race immediately when he realized what was contained inside.

Sungjin who stood silently while he watched the little ceremony stepped forward and took the box from the tray to open it. Jisung’s eyes caught something shiny inside before the First Commander handed it carefully to the king.

“Step forward, Han Jisung.”

Jisung did so and his legs felt like lead, but he managed to do it. He watched as the king took out the gleaming pin of the royal family’s coat of arms that the elite guards wore with pride. With deft fingers, king Jinhee pierced the lapel of Jisung’s suit jacket when he attached the pin on him and secured the lock. When the king stepped back, Jisung bowed again.

“Remember that that pin symbolizes a heavy responsibility;” king Jinhee told him with serious formality. “it is the responsibility of the crown prince’s safety.”

“I understand, your majesty.” Jisung replied politely then lifted his head to stand once more. His tone was sure and even he was impressed by the dedication he felt towards this new role.

King Jinhee nodded at that as he, too, sensed Jisung’s willingness and dedication. “Service to the royal family is a service to the kingdom of South Korea,” he said and Jisung felt his heart pound against his chest in a mixture of adrenaline and nervousness. “and service to my eldest son, the crown prince, is a service to the future king.”

“It is an honor, your majesty,” Jisung said earnestly because this scene wasn’t in the scenarios he practiced with Chan. “I will remember it and carry out my duty well.”

“Good.”

That was when Sungjin stepped forward and delivered a small bow to the king. “Your majesty, the entourage and the convoy to accompany you to the Annual Peace Summit are ready.”

“And where is Younghyun?” The king asked, referring to one of the promising members of the senior staff.

“He is already in the car, your majesty.”

“Ah, alright,” The king sighed but he quickly rearranged his tie that did not need re-arranging and smoothed out his already pristine brown suit. “thank you, Sungjin.”

Then, he turned to address Chan. “Commander Bang.”

“Yes, your majesty?” Chan immediately bowed and stepped forward when he was called.

“You may take the newest member of your team to Minho now.” The king said. “Oh, and please tell Yongbok that upon my return, I wish to speak with him about the holiday trip with his friends.”

“Yes, your majesty.” With one final bow, Chan and Jisung left the royal study.

This was the first time Jisung had ever stepped into the palace and he breathlessly stared at the beautifully preserved interior and the ancient paintings and tapestries that hung on the walls.

“You can breathe now, Jisung.” Chan patted him on the shoulder and he immediately exhaled heavily. “Congratulations on becoming an official royal guard. How does it feel?”

“Wow, hyung,” he said airily. “I don’t know, just wow.”

Chan’s laugh was musical and light when he took in the look of bewilderment on Jisung’s face. “You’ll get used to it, trust me. I was like that when I was first inducted.”

“How long ago was that?”

“Hm,” Chan paused while he led them up a grand staircase. “let’s just say that it was a long time ago.” He chuckled. They reached the third floor where the princes resided. As Jisung was informed earlier that day, the crown prince had some visitors over, namely, the royal advisor’s son and the ambassador’s son as well as a family friend. Jisung knew them by name and he’s done his research about their backgrounds, but he’s never actually met them.

They stopped in front of a room with thick mahogany double doors; the second one in a long hallway lined with eight rooms.

“Diving first into the warzone on your first day, huh?” Chan smiled when Jisung looked at him with nervous confusion.

“Warzone?” the younger guard frowned.

“YANG JEONGIN, I WILL KILL YOU FOR THAT!” He was startled by a voice that yelled angrily inside the room.

Jisung’s mouth parted to form a silent ‘oh’ while he stared at the closed doors.

“JOKES ON YOU, BAD BITCHES DON’T DIE!” Came another voice that Jisung guessed belonged to Yang Jeongin.

“CHEATERS DO AND YOU’RE NEXT!”

“Minho-hyung, put the broom down!” Came a panicked, unfamiliar voice.

There were loud thumping sounds while someone half screamed, and half laughed. Beside him, Chan sighed and rubbed his temple as if a slight migraine assaulted him. “I was hoping for a better first impression.”

Jisung chuckled nervously. “No, no, it’s fine, hyung. I-…”

“Get hyung! Get Minho-hyung!” The voice this time was shrill but Jisung recognized it as Felix. “Run, Innie! Save yourself!”

There were more thumps to be heard and Jisung was sure there were pillows thrown and maybe a couch that was flipped over before a loud laugh echoed inside; Changbin.

“For fuck’s sake, you are all acting like children!” Another unfamiliar voice. “Hyung, your guard will be here any moment at least hide your demon form!”

“Get off of me, Seungmin!” The voice was familiar, one that Jisung had burned in his memory. “I want blood!”

“Hyunjin, help me hold him down!”

“Hey! I am older than _all of you_. I deserve some respect!” A yell that was also a laugh.

“There is no respect in Rainbow Road, hyung!” Yang Jeongin cried out once more.

“Sometimes, it’s hard to believe that these kids are this kingdom’s next leaders.” Chan sighed then he flashed Jisung a smile while he placed a hand on the doorknob. “Get ready, Jisung.”

The door creaked open and Jisung squinted from the sunlight that hit him from the huge windows that faced the palace gardens. The room was a mess and the widescreen TV displayed Mario Kart while the controllers are strewn on the floor. A guy that looked younger than Jisung stood frozen on the other side of the door as if he was going to open it and make a run for it. He stared at him and Chan with wide eyes and a frozen look of surprise on his face. Judging by what he heard earlier, this must be Yang Jeongin.

Changbin was settled on the couch, suit jacket off which was folded and draped on one of the couch armrests. When Jisung’s gaze left Jeongin and shifted to the floor, he saw a dogpile of four people. One of the three on top was Felix who was half screaming and half laughing. There was a tall good-looking guy with blond hair that spilled out of the crooked beret on his head while the third one had an unamused and tired look on his face like he just wanted the ground to swallow him.

Underneath the pile, was Lee Know.

No, this wasn’t the guy Jisung first met in Club MIROH. This wasn’t the arrogant masked patron who teased him and poked at his nerves the wrong way. This guy wore round-rimmed glasses that were falling halfway down his face while he struggled to get out of the pile of bodies on top of him. He wore a soft knitted sweater with a cat stencil whose sleeves fell halfway past his palms in adorable sweater paws. His face was something the pictures on the internet or the TV did not do justice because the guy looked like _art._ When those enigmatic feline eyes met Jisung’s gaze, he felt his heart slam against his ribcage so painfully that a soft gasp came out.

This was prince Minho.

“Alright, everybody _settle down_.” Chan said firmly and the room fell silent; Jisung was impressed at the effect Chan had when he pulled out the ‘leader voice’, heck, even the princes listened. Chan placed a hand on Jisung’s shoulder to divert everyone’s attention to him. “This is Han Jisung, Minho’s royal guard. I hope we can all get along.”

Felix beamed while Changbin smirked when he saw the pin on Jisung’s lapel. Minho sat up when the three others from earlier got off. He stood up, fixed his sweater, glasses, and hair as much as he could to undo the damage created by the cursed dogpile. Jisung stood in full attention when Minho walked up to him barefoot, looking soft in that oversized sweater and sweatpants.

“This was not how I expected our first official meeting to go, Jisung.” Minho smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry about that,” he motioned at his friends. “I kindda run a circus here.”

Felix sputtered out a laugh that came out as a raspberry and covered his mouth to keep himself from laughing when Jeongin shot him a confused look.

When Jisung felt a nudge on his side from Chan, he realized that he was _staring_ at the crown prince like an idiot.

“N-No!” he blurted out. “this is totally fine; this… this is great!” He laughed nervously then remembered his manners and bowed respectfully to Minho. Oh god, what the hell was happening to him? This was his first day as a royal guard and he felt like he was already fucking up so bad.

“It’s good to see you again, your highness,” he said before he regained his posture. “thank you for this opportunity.”

Minho held out a hand towards Jisung and the other carefully took it in a firm handshake. Minho’s hand was warm and welcoming to the touch; it reminded Jisung of something he could not put his thoughts to.

“Likewise,” Minho said, and when he released his hand, Jisung kind of missed the contact already. Minho motioned towards the others in the room. Behind them, Chan closed the door after he left, probably to go and do his duties for the day.

“Let me introduce you to these idiots.”

“Aw, hyung!” Felix cooed. “But you love us, right?”

Minho just rolled his eyes at his younger brother and Jisung followed Minho towards the group. Jisung expected a cold and formal kind of welcome and he expected to see people like Lee Know, but instead, he was greeted by the lovely chaos of a group of friends just being friends.

Maybe, this wasn’t at all too bad for Jisung.

What could possibly go wrong?

*

That night, a woman stood in front of his desk while she kept a firm and steady gaze at the man behind the desk.

“I wish to inform you that according to inside sources, the crown prince has acquired a royal guard, sir.”

The man didn’t say anything at first and quietly stared at the glittering city skyline.

“This might make our plans even more difficult to put into place.” The woman continued.

“And where did they pick up this… guard?” The man finally spoke. The silhouette of his hand reached out to take the glass of whiskey that sat on the small table beside him.

“I’ve taken the initiative to research this new guard’s history.” The woman took out a slim tablet and scrolled through. “His name is Han Jisung, twenty-three years old. He hailed from the city of Incheon in a family of three; a mother and an older brother. His former place of employment was Club MIROH.”

“Club MIROH?” The man scoffed. “And that foolish boy picked up a dirty alley rat from a place like that?” He chuckled. “Interesting that the crown prince would step foot in such a place.”

The woman did not let any hint of doubt show on her features and merely stared at the wide silhouette of the executive chair that was a blot on the glittering night cityscape that was displayed on the ceiling-to-floor windows of the room.

“Considering that the two assassination attempts on prince Minho and prince Felix failed, sir,” she said. “shall I take additional measures for the next attempt?”

The sound of ice clinking against the crystal of the glass briefly tinkled in the quiet room when the man took a drink of his whiskey. “These guards are no threat.” The man finally said. “They’re good but they won’t be able to hold up forever.” A smile in his smooth voice laced with the tang of whiskey. “We are in no hurry; one does not rush a game of chess, after all.”

The woman said nothing more and merely bowed before she quietly walked out of the room, the carpet muting the clicking of her stilettos. The man smiled into the rim of his glass and inhaled the exquisite aroma of the perfectly aged whiskey that he drank. He will make sure to remove every descendant of the Lee clan that stood in his way and the throne. The guards employed by the royal family were the best of the best in Korea but in the end, they are all human and that made them vulnerable.

Every impenetrable fortress has a tunnel.

Every armor has a kink.

It will take some time and a lot of battering, but _shields do break_.


	7. Hope, Only to be Crushed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI FRIENDS, I'M BACK (for now). The past 2 weeks sucked but hopefully I can return to writing. Anyway, I come bearing a new chapter for you guys! Just a disclaimer that I totally just made up the historical stuff here for the same of the story. Also, here, have some angst. It's the first of many to come! Thank you very much to everyone who left comments and even comments in every chapter. You guys help me keep going :)
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this!

Minho’s alarm blared at 5 AM but he hit snoozed and chucked his phone on the floor and went back to sleep. The weather was cold, but his heated blanket was so toasty that he didn’t ever want to leave his bed. He couldn’t care less right now that he had things to do for the day because he just wanted to sleep. Maybe Felix or Seungmin can take over for him for that day? He just wanted to stay here forever and ever. Minho moaned softly when he cuddled his pillow and buried his nose into its clean scent. It felt warm against his cheek and Minho’s brain, which was still half asleep, imagined that it was someone else.

A faceless person that Minho adored.

How would that feel? Would they be warm too? Would they whisper a sleepy good morning in Minho’s ear and plant kisses on his neck? Would they kiss him before them climb on top of him, pinning Minho underneath their weight-…?

A yearning clawed Minho’s stomach and the sleepy thoughts paired with his newly woken body slid down south to pool between his thighs in molten heat. He clung onto the pillow tighter, so desperate and starved for touch that his hand traveled underneath his shirt and his fingers pressed against the flat plane of his stomach. His fingers slipped past the waistband of his pajama pants, the touch, hot and tantalizing that he wished that it was someone else…

Minho’s eyes snapped open and loud gasped tore out of him when he heard a knock on the door. Since he threw his phone on the floor, he glanced at the antique wall clock on the opposite side of his room and groaned when he saw that it was already 8 AM.

Shit, he woke up late again! He just decided to close his eyes a little bit more after his alarm and three hours had already passed? He hissed under his breath when a knock came on the door again. However, a string of quiet profanities flowed of his mouth when he found that he couldn’t stand up to get the door without the risk of exposing the tent that’s pitched up in his pajama pants being.

Muttering a curse against his pillow, Minho pushed himself to sit up. His dark brown hair stuck out in different directions and his one-size-too-big sleep shirt slipped down his left shoulder to reveal creamy skin branded by lines from being pressed onto the sheets all night.

“Come in!” Minho called out annoyed and voice raspy from sleep.

The door opened and one of the royal executive assistants responsible for the princes’ task, Chou Tzuyu strode in with a bright smile on her face. Her navy blue and white pencil suit was perfectly tailored and pristine, and she wore her long hair up in a bun today with a few strands of bangs framing her petite face.

“Good morning, your highness.” She greeted cheerfully before she bowed. Behind her, a small entourage of three maids filed in and bowed as well. “You missed breakfast and the king requested that we check up on you.”

“Huh?” Minho blinked at them, confused. His brain really wasn’t working without any caffeine and it took a while before what Tzuyu said registered to him. “Oh, sorry, I was up late last night polishing my speech.”

“That’s perfectly understandable, your highness.” Tzuyu smiled while she casually laced her fingers together over her lap. “You first appointment of the day is at 10 AM so there is still time to prepare.”

“What appointment?” The crown prince frowned. He really should check the schedule Tzuyu gives him or risk being stabbed by a pen in his sleep. Tzuyu is a hard worker and Minho liked her because they were near the same age and she always made sure that Minho’s schedules don’t become a moshpit.

“The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Royal Library in Seoul University is today, your highness,” There was a small disappointed look that quickly passed over Tzuyu face but it was gone in an instant. “Junior advisor Kim will be accompanying you.”

Minho remembered that there was supposed to be a ribbon-cutting for his annual project, but it was cancelled on its designated day a few months ago because of the assassination attempt on him. The memory still left an ugly fear in Minho whenever he remembered it; first times are always memorable, as they said. But lately, he was more confident, and he felt safer because of Jisung.

“What about Yongbok?” He asked about his younger brother, knowing well that there were days that he and Felix had completely different schedules for their royal duties.

“Prince Yongbok left very early today for his photoshoot with Vogue South Korea.” The royal assistant replied. “Afterwards, he is set to visit the St. Anthony orphanage in Gimpo. He will be back tonight.”

“Okay,” Minho just nodded. “I’ll go and get ready for the day. Thank you, Tzuyu.” He also nodded at the maids that came in with her. “I can take it from here. I don’t need anything else.”

Satisfied with his answer, the royal attendant bowed again and the maids followed suit before they quietly backed out of the room, careful not to show their backs to Minho as an etiquette of respect to the royal family. Left alone in his room, Minho got up from bed and grabbed his silk robe to put it on before he headed to the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later, Minho was already dressed for the ceremony. He donned a simple semi-casual burgundy suit jacket over a black dress shirt, matching pants, and dress shoes. It took him about five minutes to decide whether he should wear a bolo tie or burgundy one to match his jacket before he settled with the latter. He studied himself in the mirror while he decided if there was something else that was missing then took an antique chain brooch of a gold bird with its wings spread in flight. A dainty chain on the end of its tail was attached to a diamond stud in a gold setting that was styled to look like a small sunburst.

When Minho checked his hair which he carefully styled back with some get to reveal his forehead and bring light to his sharp facial features, another knock came on the door. “Please enter.” He said absently while he spritzed some perfume on the pulses of his wrists.

“Your coffee is getting cold, hyung,” Came a familiar voice that had recently demanded Minho’s complete attention nowadays.

“I’m almost done, Jisung.” Minho replied with one final touch to his hair before he turned around and faced the royal guard at his door who grinned brightly at him.

“You look handsome today!” The younger beamed and Minho felt stunned at the compliment.

“But, you are too. Your suit looks good.” He managed to blurt out when he felt his cheeks burn. He had received countless compliments in the past about his looks, status, and lineage but they didn’t really stick to him. However, for some reason, it felt strange whenever it was Jisung who did it and all with that bright and silly smile on his face.

“Ha!” Jisung snorted with a roll of his eyes. “You mean this?” he gestured at his black suit which was standard issued for all guards. The only thing that was different was that he wore the royal pin on his left lapel that symbolized his position as a royal guard to the crown prince. “I wear the same thing every day, hyung. There’s nothing special about it.”

“A magazine ranked me below Hwang Hyunjin in the most handsome faces of South Korea for 2020,” Minho rolled his eyes while he went to his bed to grab his phone from where it was charging on the bedside table and slipped it into his pants pocket. “Can you believe the _audacity_?”

“Yes,” Jisung teased and Minho shot him a disappointed glare. “aren’t you supposed to be on my side?”

“I am! But Hyunjin _is_ good looking.”

“That is treason against the crown prince, Han Jisung. How dare you say that Hyunjin is more handsome than me?” Minho made a soft ‘tch’ while he walked past Jisung and stepped out into the hallway.

“ _I didn’t say_ that Hyunjin is more handsome than you, hyung,” Jisung laughed while they walked down the long hallway of the palace. As he was taught, he made sure to keep a two-step distance behind Minho as royal protocol. “I only said that Hyunjin is good looking.”

Minho pouted at that, but he didn’t take any offense. Since Jisung became his royal guard, his days became less boring because Jisung made great company. He also fitted right into Minho’s group of friends and even though Hyunjin and Jisung often argued during the first month, they were friends now. Jisung, Minho thought, was deceiving. The royal guard was often underestimated because he was happy go lucky and often exhumed a friendly and laid back attitude but Minho had seen him in action before and if needed, Jisung can be dangerous, especially now after he received special training and aced it with flying colors. He watched him train once when Chan brought him to the training facility and Jisung had taken down guards who were bigger than him. He almost even succeeded in defeating Dowoon in a hand-to-hand combat if it wasn’t for Dowoon’s long years of experience.

So far, he’s done an exceptional job being a guard, and Minho is convinced that he chose right.

Breakfast was uneventful, as protocol, Jisung went out so that Minho can eat in peace. The dining room was large, and the silence loomed over the him. The long table was empty except for him and it felt lonely without Felix or one of his friends to talk to, but Minho went on and finished his food without saying a word. He wished that it wasn’t cold outside so that he can have his breakfast in the garden gazebo away from the waiting eyes of the house maids. Then maybe, he can invite Jisung to have breakfast with him.

He liked that thought.

*

The flashing lights of the media’s cameras blinded Minho but he kept up a pleasant smile after he gave his speech in front of the Lee Yeong Royal Library in the eastern part of the Seoul University compound. The sea of faces in front of him was blurry and the claps and questions and cheers from the audience were like white noise ringing in his ears. He gave a nod of approval when the president of the university shook his hand right after he bowed in respect and handed Minho a pair of golden scissors.

He turned around and approached the line of thick red ribbon that were tied by the doors and snipped it in one quick motion. There was thundering applause followed by shouts of his name and countless congratulations. The world was a blur around Minho and there was a pang in his chest that he couldn’t explain. Supposedly, the public adored the royal family… adored Felix… adored _him_ , but it felt like it didn’t matter, it was all empty adoration. Minho’s eyes scanned the faces of the people up on the steps of the building with him in hopes that he could find Seungmin, but he couldn’t.

For some reason, Minho felt like he deflated in disappointment; he was hoping that he could explore the library with Seungmin to examine the amenities and the wide selection of replicated books from the royal archive, but the younger was probably whisked away by the university’s delegates to talk to him since Seungmin is also a senior student here.

Great, he was alone, and he can’t just leave because that would be rude. There was already a line of students waiting to get inside of the library and Minho scanned their faces too, in hopes that Jeongin was there but then he remembered that the younger had an exam today so he couldn’t attend the ceremony.

“Hyung?”

Minho almost jumped out of his skin when Jisung appeared beside him with a water bottle. “You look a little pale, are you okay?”

“Yes,” Minho managed to croak out, and gratefully took the water bottle from Jisung. “just disappointed.”

“Why?”

Minho felt the branding touch of Jisung’s gentle hand on the small of his back as the younger guard led him to the side where he can be out of the heat and the bright flashes of the cameras. He twisted the cap off the bottle and took a couple of gulps of water. It made him feel a little better and he chucked the small bottle into the trash after he finished it.

“Well, Seungmin disappeared to god-knows-where and Jeongin has an exam so he’s not here.” The crown prince sighed. “I was hoping to explore the library with someone to examine the books.”

“Then, let’s go,” Jisung said.

“What?” Minho was stunned by the quick agreement and enthusiasm.

“You said you wanted to see the books, right?” Jisung grinned brightly while he motioned towards the entrance of the building. “I’ll come with you and check it out.”

“Really?”

“Sure, hyung, why not?” Jisung nodded then tapped on his earpiece to contact the other guards around the perimeter. “This is J.One, I’m entering the building with the Panther.”

Minho let himself be led inside the building with an enthusiastic Jisung. There were already students inside that were looking at the books and testing the amenities and facilities that the royal library had to offer. He couldn’t help but feel proud at the look on the faces of the students while they browsed the books, excited that they can now have access to the kingdom’s complete history and recorded events. Half an hour later, Minho found himself in one of the cubicles on the fourth floor where copies of the oldest books in the royal archive were kept. It was a section that needed special permission from the dean to conduct research in, so it was practically empty when Minho and Jisung went there.

“You don’t find this boring, Jisung?” Minho asked after he looked up from the book he was skimming through. It held the medical records of king Cho, one of the kings that ruled during the Joseon era. Cho wasn’t Minho’s ancestor but rather, he was one of the last predecessors before the Lee clan took over the throne.

Jisung looked up from an article he was reading on his phone after he searched something up from the book that was laid open on the table. “No, hyung, this is actually interesting.” He whispered since they were still in a library. “I mean,” he paused, brows scrunched over his eyes while he flipped through the pages. “this wasn’t taught to me in history class. The schoolbooks really left out a lot. I mean,” he paused while he ran his fingers across a page; “it says here that there was a crazy queen back in the 15th century who ordered the palace doctors to kill the sons of the king’s concubines so that her son will be the only one left for the throne.”

“Ah, yeah, I think that was queen Hee-ae. Even babies weren’t safe from assassinations back in the day.” Minho said. “It’s really ironic that it was her own son who had her killed.”

“Wow, hyung,” Jisung breathed. “I prefer National Geographic but this is pretty interesting too.” A quiet chuckle. “It’s like I’m watching a historical gossip dash serial killer documentary.”

Minho let out a quiet chuckle. “That’s a creative way to put it.”

Jisung flipped through a few more pages. Minho expected that the royal guard would get bored, but he seemed really absorbed with skimming through the book and picking up interesting summaries. He put the book he was reading aside and got the last one from the small pile he took with him to the table. A couple of minutes later, Minho settled into reading a chapter of a tragic romance written by a minor princess from the Kim clan who took no interest in royal affairs. Instead, she spent most of her life writing books and journals.

“Hm, this is weird.” Jisung’s confused voice distracted Minho from his reading and the crown prince looked up from his book.

“What’s weird?” Minho asked Jisung who focused on the book he was reading.

“Hm,” Jisung hummed thoughtfully. “the first child is the heir to the throne, right?”

“Yeah?” Minho frowned. “Unless something bad happens, the next child becomes the heir. If there aren’t anymore, it diverts to the next qualified relative in the line.”

Jisung slid the book towards Minho. “See here,” he pointed at the page. “this king here ruled from 1405 to 1455 but his successor ruled from 1460 to 1505,” Jisung looked at him with a confused pout. “so, what happened in 1456 to 1459?”

Taking the book, Minho read the first paragraph before he started to flip through to check that the pages were complete. “The pages are in sequence so this can’t possibly be a printing error.” He muttered. He ran a finger through the name of this royal, but then…

“Oh,” Minho muttered when he squinted at the name. “he’s my ancestor.”

“Oooh,” Jisung scooted closer and leaned in to squint at the page. Minho felt his breath hitch at the sudden intrusion of personal space, but he felt comfortable enough with Jisung that he didn’t move away. The two of them are together most of the time and Minho was used to Jisung’s constant presence beside him.

“Lee Sanghoon,” Minho slowly said the name. After a few seconds of contemplation, Minho closed the book. “I’ll cross-check it with the ancient books at home.”

“If you’re not feeling lazy?” Jisung followed with a smirk which made Minho roll his eyes.

“If I’m not lazy.” Minho agreed.

Anther thirty minutes passed before Minho got bored and got up from his seat. He took his burgundy jacket which was draped on the backrest of his chair and slipped it back on. With his book abandoned, Jisung looked up from his phone and when he saw that the crown prince was gathering the books he pulled out of the shelf and started to help him with the task.

“Thanks, Jisungie.” Minho flashed a small and quick smile while they carried the books to put on a trolley tray for the librarian to return later. The nickname slipped out and he realized it too late. When Minho looked up, he saw that Jisung stared at him, wide-eyed and stunned with his lips parted in surprise.

“What?” Minho quirked a brow. “You call me hyung so I think I have every right to call you ‘Jisungie’.”

“Oh, okay,” Jisung cleared his throat and averted his gaze, oddly trying to hide his face from Minho. “I just wasn’t expecting that you’d give me a nickname, hyung.”

“It’s just the two of us in here, anyway.” The crown prince shrugged while he placed the second batch of books on the tray. “Of course, we have to be formal when there are other people around that aren’t our friends. Like, hm,” he paused. “everyone else at the palace and of course, commoners.”

Minho nodded in silent thanks when Jisung took the third batch from him and placed it on the tray.

“Friends, huh?” The younger guard muttered. “Can…Can I ask you something, hyung?”

“Sure.”

Jisung took a moment to collect his thoughts and the words came out carefully as if he was trying very hard not to offend Minho. “I…don’t mean to pry, hyung,” he said. “but, are Felix and Changbin-hyung, uhm…”

“Dating?” Minho completed the inquiry. “Yes. I feel very sorry for you if you’ve _walked in_ on them.” A grimace. “Those two just can’t keep their hands off each other. I think it’s an initiation in our circle to have that happen to them. Hopefully, Felix will remember to lock the door.”

Jisung snorted and covered his mouth when giggles erupted from him. “It hasn’t happened to me yet so I guess I’m lucky. I’d bleach my eyes if I did!”

Minho stared and then burst into snickering giggles too and they both giggled so hard that Jisung started pounding on the table until a librarian walked by and hushed them harshly. After the two calmed down, Jisung asked;

“Is their thing a secret?”

The amusement mellowed from Minho and he nodded. “Yeah. Please keep it between our circle.”

“So, it’s not allowed?” Jisung asked sadly. “I mean, they look so happy together.”

Minho considered the question. “It’s…not common. Come to think of it, yes, it’s not allowed.” He said. “Under tradition, Bokkie and I must marry within prime bloodlines and produce the next heir to the throne.” Minho made a face of disgust. “I honestly think it’s stupid, you know? The blood in your veins doesn’t measure you as a king or a queen. There are commoners throughout our history who made better contributions to the kingdom than the ruling monarch at that time.”

The prince sighed. “But, yes, Bokkie and Changbin are happy with each other, and,” a thoughtful pause. “I’m happy for them. Everyone should be free to love who they wish to love.” A shake of his head. “Yeah, I think I should change that stupid rule when I take the throne.”

The chuckle that slipped out of Jisung was soft. He carefully placed one of the last books on the tray with a small smile on his face.

“What’s so funny?” Minho frowned.

His royal guard shook his head and slipped on his suit jacket from where he left it on the table. “I think that’s admirable,” Bright eyes met Minho’s. “It’s a beautiful and brave thing to say. You spark _hope_ in others, hyung.”

It wasn’t something that Minho expected to hear from Jisung, but those words made him feel a fluttering warmth that he had never felt before. Was that what Jisung thought of him? Someone who inspired hope? Minho felt like he didn’t deserve such praise.

“The convoy to take you home is waiting outside, hyung,” Jisung broke through his thoughts. “we should go.”

“Us.” Minho suddenly blurted out.

Jisung gave him a confused look and Minho forced out the stern words to correct the younger.

“Take _us_ home,” Minho clarified stubbornly, but when that only made Jisung look more confused, he rolled his eyes. “what, you aren’t coming with me?” He shook his head with a soft ‘uhg’ before he walked past Jisung and headed for the door. Minho thought he heard a scoff come from his guard but did not bother to look back.

*

It was a chilly autumn noon even though the sky was already high in the sky. Today, Minho and Felix joined their father and their uncle at a prestigious country club that Lee Dongwook owned. Minho was content scrolling through his phone with an open book on his lap and a steaming cup of hot chocolate on the table. Felix was having a shooting competition with their uncle Dongwook while the king indulged in some ginseng tea and pastries while he watched his youngest son and his younger brother.

The royal guards weren’t in sight, but Minho knew that the three were strategically positioned to have full and clear sight of the royal family. Felix laughed at something their uncle said, the sound, rich and deep in the crisp cold air. Minho watched when Dongwook handed Felix the antique rifle and that caught Minho and their father’s attention while they watched Felix take aim at the disk shooter that was about a hundred meters away from the platform they were on.

Minho watched in curiosity since Felix wasn’t really the type who competed with weapons. When their uncle Dongwook pressed the button that remotely controlled the disk launcher in the distance, the projectile flew and Felix quickly took aim, focused, and pulled the trigger. Minho and the king jumped up to their feet with exclamations of shock and amazement when the plastic disk shattered in the air after Felix pulled a perfect shot.

“Oh my god, Bokkie!” Minho strode to where the younger prince stood and excitedly ruffled his hair. Felix, who had lowered the rifle after he had clicked on the safety, grinned brightly at his older brother.

“Did you see that?” Felix asked excitedly.

“I didn’t know that you knew how to target shoot, Yongbok.” The king smiled fondly at Felix. “I don’t remember paying for lessons though. Where did you learn to shoot like that?”

“And who taught you?” Dongwook followed while he placed the rifle back on the stand. “I should hire them to give me lessons.” A chuckle.

“Oh,” Felix snorted and waved his hand dismissively. “it’s nothing really, just a friend who’s good at shooting sports.”

Dongwook and Jinhee both nodded, impressed, and they totally bought it, but Minho didn’t because Felix’s voice had a habit of changing a pitch higher whenever he lied. It was slight, but he knew his brother enough to know when he was telling the truth, and when he didn’t.

“This friend is from Australia?” King Jinhee asked and Minho held back a snort.

“No, they’re from around here.” Felix casually averted his gaze.

“Well, surely, you must introduce us sometimes, then.” Dongwook patted Felix on the shoulder. “this person taught you well.”

Felix blushed and Minho arched a brow. Ah, there it was.

“He’s a multitalented sweetheart.” Minho grinned while he ruffled Felix’s blonde hair again. “Right?”

Felix just rolled his eyes and gave a bashful smile which he hid when he lowered his head. Minho was sure that he could feel pairs of watchful eyes on them.

*

“It was Changbin who taught you to shoot like that, huh?” Minho asked while they walked around the forest park in the country club premises. The towering pine trees gave out a refreshing scent along with the gentle, cold breeze that blew down on them.

“Was it too obvious?” Felix looked up from his DSLR camera, worried, but Minho shook his head while he enjoyed the scenic nature around them.

“No, you’re just a bad liar.”

Felix pouted.

“You blushed but father and uncle could’ve taken that like you were just shy.”

“I…I _am_ shy.” Felix admitted lowly. “If anything at all, it’s Binnie who deserves that praise, not me. I’m just his student.”

Minho snorted. “Pft, kinky.” Then, he guffawed a loud laugh when Felix punched his arm, hard. “Ow!”

The brothers walked down the cobblestone path through the woods in silence. Felix took a couple of photos while Minho posed then they swapped so that Minho can take Felix’s pictures. This was nice and Minho was glad to be away from the bustling noise of the city for a little while. It felt like he and Felix were on a little vacation, just the two of them. It felt normal; Minho adored it.

“By the way,” the crown prince broke the silence when they reached a small bridge over a quiet stream. “how are the holiday vacation plans going?”

Felix leaned on top of the railing. “Hyunjin is helping me with the accommodations. We’re going to a mountain pension house for a week.” Felix smiled. “And by the time we’re there, there’s a winter festival at the nearby town. If you guys don’t want that, there’s a nearby temple and a hiking trail.”

“Oh cool.” Minho said. He always enjoyed festivals, mostly because he rarely experienced them without the restrictions of being royalty.

“But the place we’d be staying in only has four rooms, so we’ll be pairing up roommates.”

Minho turned to look at Felix, unamused. “Do I even have to guess who your roommate is?”

Felix rolled his eyes. “I think that’s a given, hyung.” He tilted his chin up arrogantly. “You’re such a killjoy.”

A grimace. “Well, is that fixed up? Who’s my roommate?”

That was when Felix shrugged mischievously. “Only Binnie and I are decided. The rest of you will draw lots when we get there! Exciting, isn’t it?”

“Why do you get special treatment?” Minho frowned.

“Because I’m not single.” Felix smiled smugly and laughed gleefully at the look of murder on his brother’s face. “But since you’re my dear and favorite brother in the whole wide world, I will entertain your request if you have one.” Felix leaned on the railing of the wooden bridge and rested his cheek on his propped hand. “Do you want to room with Seungminnie and rekindle your old flame?”

“Felix,” Minho slowly exhaled while he struggled to keep hold of his patience. “I love you and you’re my brother, but right now, I really, _really_ to drown you in this stream.”

“Come to think of it,” the younger prince laughed nervously. “you and Seungmin being roommates would be a bad idea. We might get a noise complaint.”

Minho and Seungmin were part of each other’s childhood and being constantly around each other, something sprung between them which they thought felt right until _it didn’t feel right_. It had been a mutual breakup and it almost got to the point that Seungmin refused to become Minho’s future royal advisor. Instead, he opted to leave to handle the foreign branch of the Kim’s family business overseas. Their friends intervened and each tried to help patch up that broken relationship.

Now, the two of them had moved on and their past became a valuable lesson and a good story they can laugh at to pass the time. There isn’t any bitterness between Seungmin and Minho and even if they often joke about how they hate each other which earned them the title: ‘The Divorced Couple’, they are very close friends and an efficient duo in handling royal affairs together. Kim Seungmin was Minho’s right hand and there wasn’t anyone else he could trust with it.

“I’ll just play your stupid game when we get there.” Minho finally gave up. Felix beamed at that before he pulled on Minho’s hand and they resumed their stroll around the woods.

The stream disappeared behind them as they walked further, and the surroundings shifted to another part of the woodland in the heart of the country club. The brothers were stunned when they were met with striking red and yellow leaves of the towering trees that contrasted the dark ground. Their footsteps crunched on the crisp leaves underneath their shoes as they went off the path and explored the heart of the woodland. Felix kept taking photos while Minho did the same with his phone while he indulged in the silence of the singing breeze among the blood-red and gold treetops.

“I wonder what we’ll see if we go further?” Felix wondered and Minho’s attention was diverted while he was lost in watching a squirrel run up a tree.

“Let’s go further,” Minho said and Felix cracked an excited smile at the offer to explore. “I think we’re almost towards the edge of the property.”

The princes went further until they reached a clearing that gave them a stunning view of the mountains. A sound of awe escaped from Minho until he realized that the reason that they were almost leveled with the mountain range was that they were on the edge of a cliff with a 500 feet drop into an untouched forest below.

“Shit!” Minho’s eyes widened when he realized this and he immediately crouched low on the ground beside Felix, his arms wrapped around himself. “We’re so high up! Why isn’t there a safety railing around here?!” He was terrified of heights. Minho didn’t even glimpse the edge, but he knew they were high up and didn’t even dare to take another step forward.

However, Felix was different; he didn’t have a fear of heights. “Hey, what’s that?”

Minho’s nervously watched his brother walk past him from where was couched on the ground and his heart pounded against his ribs when Felix walked closer to the edge of the cliff, camera in hand.

“What the hell are you doing, Yongbok?!” Minho hissed, his brother’s birthname slipping out like it did when he scolded the younger. “Come back here right now, it’s dangerous there!”

“But there’s something down there, hyung.” Felix hissed back and he lifted his camera, twisted the lens, and took several shots at something at the bottom of the high drop. Minho forced his legs to move and managed to stand up, but the steps he took towards Felix were slow and shaky. He felt the pit of his stomach churn and his legs turn to jelly when he stood beside his brother. Minho tried not to look down, but curiosity won over him and he looked.

It wasn’t too obvious, but when Minho squinted, he saw a dirt path below that snaked out of a thick canopy of trees that led towards an infrastructure with a dark green roof. There were solar panels glinting on the side on the side and the building looked small and bleakly painted.

It was as if it was made to look like an abandoned warehouse and Minho would’ve thought that it was if it wasn’t for the solar panels on the roof.

“Look,” Felix whispered and when Minho looked at the thin and beaten path, two small container vans emerged from the canopies. The younger prince lifted his camera again and zoomed in as much as he could to take photos of the trucks. “the side doesn’t have a label of the company they belong to.” He said. “but they look like those freezer trucks that carried meat or fish.”

“Maybe it’s a storage facility?” Minho muttered while he rubbed his hands for warmth. “I also think that you shouldn’t be taking pictures of that.”

“But don’t you think it’s weird, hyung?”

Minho paused for a moment and considered Felix’s words; it really was strange. If it was a storage facility for perishable goods, then why was it hidden so deep on the side of a mountain? It didn’t make sense. The two container vans pulled over into a small parking lot on the side of the building and the princes watched as two people exited the vehicle, each. They were dressed in white jumpsuits but that was all they could tell since they were so high up.

“Why do I feel like there’s something going on here.” Minho frowned. “It looks like something illegal takes place here.”

“It’d be cool to check out but I’m too scared.” Felix lowered the camera to watch the little happening below.

“We’d die if we did.”

“Do you think they can see us?” Felix asked and Minho shook his head.

“We’re too high up and the trees are blocking their way.”

Suddenly, Minho yelped when someone pulled him back and beside him, Felix opened his mouth to call out to him until a hand came over his mouth to stop him from screaming. Minho twisted around, but the grip locked around his waist and pulled him down to the ground.

“Hyung, hyung!” Jisung hissed. “It’s just me!”

Minho stared at him, eyes wide with shock. He was breathing hard in fear, ready to punch whoever will try to hurt him or Felix even though he wasn’t a fighter. He stared into those big dark eyes over thick brows and those thin lips pulled down into a frown. The familiar light and cheer in Jisung’s eyes were absent and Minho knew that something was wrong.

“Where were you?!” A voice hissed and when Minho turned, he saw Changbin holding Felix protectively while the two of them were crouched low on the ground.

“Here, as you can see,” Minho snapped at his brother’s guard. “why do you have to yank us back like that? We could’ve fallen over!”

“Hyung, you were five steps from falling to your deaths,” Jisung answered with no humor in his voice. When Minho turned to look at his guard, he saw a dark expression on that usually smiling face. Why was Jisung so upset?

“Changbin-hyung and I have been looking for the two of you. You weren’t at the usual woodland path and you weren’t answering my calls.”

“Did Chan berate you or something?” Minho scoffed with a roll of his eyes and pushed Jisung away. He stood up and even if he knew that they were high up on a cliff, he put on a brave and proud face while he dusted his beige trench coat. “Because we’re _fine_. I don’t think an assassin would be in a secured country club owned by my uncle,” Minho retorted. “there are guards posted in every area of the premises. Felix and I are safe here.”

Jisung and Changbin shared a quiet look while the other guard helped Felix up to his feet.

“What?” Minho frowned, eyes darting between the two royal guards.

“There was,” Jisung finally said in a frustrated sigh. “someone poisoned the stew that was supposed to be served for lunch.”

Cold ice slid down Minho’s spine while he stared at Jisung. “Is…” his throat felt dry. “my father and uncle…?”

“His majesty and your uncle are fine.” It was Changbin who answered this time. Beside him, Felix visibly sighed in relief. “It was the chef who wasn’t so lucky.” He continued grimly. “When he tasted the stew he was cooking, he dropped to the floor and started to froth on the mouth then he just stopped breathing.”

Changbin’s lips pursed into a thin line as if he was trying to make sure that he doesn’t say anything else. Minho wanted to ask but he knew that there were some things that the guards weren’t allowed to tell them and right now, it was tense. Jisung and Changbin weren’t the friends Minho knew, but the royal guards who swore to be. The two were on edge while Minho and Felix were still shaken by the news.

Suddenly, they were a slight rustling from the low lying branches and out of reflex, Changbin and Jisung pushed the flap of their black trench coats aside and simultaneously unclipped the band that secured their pistols in the holster. They didn’t pull out their weapons, but their hands hovered over the pistols in anticipation.

Minho felt a lump in his throat when Jisung instinctively stepped in front of him to shield him and he immediately felt panic. There was only a sigh of relief when Chan emerged from the shadows of the trees with both his hands raised.

“Stand down,” He said slowly. “it’s just me.”

In front of him, Jisung visibly relaxed.

“Care to explain what you two are doing here?” Chan asked the princes and before Felix could answer, Minho cut in so that his little brother didn’t have to explain anything.

“We were just exploring, hyung.” Minho said. “I put my phone on DND mode so that it didn’t startle the animals.”

“Off of the wood path?” Chan arched a brow.

“Yes.” Minho nodded.

“Near a cliff?”

This time, a groan escaped from Minho. “We wanted to take a photo overlooking the mountains. It wasn’t like we were going to go cliff diving.”

Chan headed towards them while he rubbed his temple from the impending migraine he had. “You two have royal guards for a reason, your highnesses. Someone is dead in the mansion and you two go off on your own.”

“I know, I know, okay?” Minho snapped, irritated. “I’m wrong to go off the path without taking them with us. I was just hoping for some peace and quiet with my brother; it’s been a while since he and I spent time together without the whole damn palace breathing down my neck or Jisung following me around like a lost puppy, alright?” He gritted.

“But, hyung,” Felix intervened this time to try and talk sense into his brother. “Jisung _has_ to follow you around. You know the implications of having a royal guard. We were wrong to leave them behind.”

 _“It’s not like I wanted a royal guard!”_ Minho finally lashed out. “I only agreed to it because all of you wouldn’t shut up about it!”

The stress about the poisoned food, Chan’s nagging, and admitting that he put Felix and himself in a dangerous situation made Minho’s temper snap that he failed to notice the hurt expression in Jisung’s eyes, but Chan did.

“We should go back,” There was a look of disappointment on Chan’s face, but Minho was still too stuck in his head were his pride and reason battled out. “Sungjin-hyung just sent the order for the royal family to be evacuated out of the premises. The authorities just came in to carry out an investigation.”

“Understood, sir.”

The cold, monotoned voice that came beside Minho snapped him out of the angry haze he was in. He saw past the red and watched Jisung’s retreating back walking away from him.

“Hyung,” Came Felix’s deep and gentle voice and when Minho turned towards that direction, he saw the sad look in Felix’s eyes. He shook his head while beside him, Changbin watched him carefully but said nothing.

“I think that was too much,” Felix said quietly.

Shoulders sagging at the realization that he had said hurtful things because of his anger, Minho dragged his legs to move even though they felt like lead. While they made their way back to the country club mansion, Minho watched Jisung who walked with Chan ahead of them. Minho felt the cold and merciless maws of guilt and regret to stir the heavy bile in his stomach at the thought that he had hurt Jisung with his words.

There was a small yearning hoping in Minho that Jisung would at least look back to check up on him to make sure that he was following them, but that hope was crushed because Jisung never did.


	8. The Tale of the First Lee Minho

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, HELLO AGAIN! I'm back with a new chapter to keep you company for the week. There will be trigger warnings: suicide, tones of homophobia and murder. I already updated the tags too. Thank you very much for the comments you guys left in the last chapter, they really helped me keep going writing this story! 
> 
> This chapter was enjoyable to write especially the last part about Minho's ancestor and I hope you like it too because I'm a sucker of past life/reincarnation aus. however, you guys can interpret it however you like. AND 2MIN ahhh yes so divorced and tolerating each other but still good friends. 
> 
> Anyway, here you go! I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please let me know your thoughts in the comment section!

It was a couple of days after the attempt at the country club when the toxicology report was submitted by the crime lab to the royal security. Jisung spun his pen between his thumb and forefinger while he blankly stared at the minimal notes he had written in his notebook. It started off as actual notes from the meeting but turned into a rambling of his thoughts as it progressed down the page.

_‘Why am I here?’_

_‘Did I believe a lie? You said that you saw something special in me. You made me believe I was useful.’_

_‘You never wanted me in the first place. Why did you waste my time?’_

“So, cyanide, huh?” A deep voice spoke up from the other end of the round meeting table. Yoon Dowoon swiped his finger across the tablet in front of him while he read the chemical components that were found in the deceased chef’s bloodstream. “Classic.”

“But effective.” First Commander Park Sungjin looked at his subordinate from the screen that displayed the findings of the toxicology report. “This is the third attempt at the crown prince’s life since the one at the Hwang mansion a few months ago.”

Jisung’s ears perked up at that; that was what started everything, why he was sitting in this very meeting room right now. And wow, it happened at Hyunjin’s house too?

“Third?” he asked.

“Seo took one down before you arrived,” Sungjin replied. Across him, Changbin’s expression darkened at the memory when Jisung stared at him. “You said that the assassin committed suicide before you even got information out of him?”

“Yes, sir.” Was Changbin’s response. “They went after prince Yongbok that time.”

A lump formed in Jisung’s throat; so, it wasn’t just Minho. He wondered, was Felix forced to take in Changbin too?

“That one was a close call.” A new voice spoke up this time, his tone laid back and carefree. He pushed his round glasses up the straight bridge of his nose while he casually leaned back on his chair. Park Jaehyung, simply known around the palace as Jae, was part of the senior team that oversaw the safety of the palace. However, his specialty was more on the technical side. Jisung had never seen anyone get their hands on any kind of information with a couple of clicks on their keyboard.

“What I don’t understand is how the assassin knew that the royal family will be at the country club on that day.” Jae frowned. “All the comm lines used by the staff are encrypted, I made sure of that.”

“It could be word-of-mouth,” Chan spoke for the first time from where he sat beside Jisung. “We need to be suspicious of the staff and be mindful of what they say or do.”

“If that’s the case,” Sungjin frowned and took his seat at the head of the table where he can face everyone. “that that would be difficult to do. There are at least sixty house staff members.”

“If someone is leaking information outside about the royal family’s whereabouts then it’s definitely someone who knows their schedule well,” Dowoon said while he loosened the tied around his collar. “If we’re going to base it on that, then there’s already a list suspect list.”

Jisung gritted his teeth when he felt his jaw lock and his stomach drop; it could be anyone at this point. With the number of staff that closely followed the royal family, it could be anyone.

“I’m curious about something though,” Changbin chided in. “The past three attempts, are they all done by the same person who ordered them, or is there more than one ganging up on the royal family?”

That was another valid question that Jisung didn’t think about. It was clever and highly possible that there wasn’t just one person, but several, who had formed an alliance to remove the Lee clan from the throne. He scrolled through his tablet to compare the past reports with the latest one. During the first attempt, the killer got away after they tried to shoot Minho and failed. The second one with Felix, the assassin killed their self by taking a fast-acting poison pill while the third one was an attempt to collectively assassinate all of them; the princes, the king, and the king’s brother.

The longer Jisung stared at the screen, the more he thought he saw a pattern; the first was unrelated but the second and third both had poison involved. When Jisung read Changbin’s report further, he saw that it was stamped on the day he was recruited. So, that was why Changbin and Chan both looked tired when they picked them up.

When he placed the two screens side by side, he saw that the toxicology from the assassin’s blood sample matched the components with the chef’s.

“It’s the same,” Jisung muttered, brows furrowing over his eyes while they darted back and forth the two reports. “the same industrial grade cyanide was used.”

“What was that, Han?” Chan asked from beside him.

“The same poison was used, Commander.” Jisung made sure that he did not overstep boundaries and forgot his place because while they were in this room, they weren’t friends, but guards who worked together. “Even the dosage and chemical make-up are the same.” Jisung passed his tablet to Chan so that his commanding officer could read it.

“It’s hard to say if the other clans or even organizations are working together to assassinate the royal family,” Jisung continued while he respectfully met the three pairs of eyes that belonged to the senior guards. “but with these results, I think it’s safe to say that their supplier of poison came from one source.”

“Well done, Han,” Sungjin nodded. “you have good observation skills.”

Jisung dipped his head in gratitude and he spotted a satisfied smirk on Changbin’s face while Chan gave him an approving nod. “Thank you, sir.”

“Alright, I’ll look into the newbie’s theory.” Jae piped in with a smile. “I’ll see if I can narrow down the places where this specific chemical make-up is manufactured then let you know when I find something.”

“Alright, Jae. Get back to us by the end of the week or as soon as you get the results.”

“Aye, aye, cap’n!” Jae gave a little salute when he replied in English with a perfect American accent.

“Damage control?” The First Commander turned to Dowoon.

“Younghyun and Wonpil have it under control, sir.” The senior royal guard replied. “The incident at the country club hasn’t reached the media. If it had, no one’s talking.”

“Good.”

The first Commander laced his fingers together and propped his elbows on the table and rested his chin against it while he watched his men with contemplating eyes. “I think,” he started carefully. “as of this moment, the palace is _compromised_.”

A cold and heavy silence filled the room and not even Jae’s cheerfulness can lift the atmosphere. Jisung would try, but he still hadn’t earned the place to act friendly with the seniors.

“Even so, I trust all of you.” He said. “I know all of you are competent in your duties and you have the royal family’s confidence. That is what the pins you wear symbolize.”

When Sungjin said that, it felt as if the pin Jisung wore suddenly felt like a hundred pounds where it was pinned on his left lapel. This symbolic accessory is personally pinned by the king himself to the newly inducted guards and Jisung still remembered the day he got his. It was also the same day that he met Lee Minho. Oddly, when Jisung thought of that, he felt a pang of pain in his chest and he started to question himself again.

Minho said it himself that he had no choice but to get a royal guard because people were pestering him. Did he pull strings so that Jisung could pass training and become his guard just so he could get it over with? Did that mean the only reason Jisung was even here was not because of his skills but his connection with Minho being his sponsor when he was a lowly fighter at Club MIROH?

Jisung’s mind was racing and the room suddenly felt too small. He needed to keep it together or risk a meltdown which was something he could not afford because the seniors were here.

“Keep on high alert and make sure to watch everyone for any suspicious activity.” Sungjin turned to Chan. “Commander Bang?”

“Yes, sir?” Chan replied with full attention while he regarded his senior.

“You and your team have performed well guarding the princes,” Sungjin nodded. “quite better since your new addition.” He looked towards Jisung. “Keep up the good work.”

Jisung immediately dipped his head in a bow when Chan and Changbin did. “Thank you,” the three of them muttered in unison.

“If there isn’t anything else, then this meeting is adjourned. You’re all dismissed for the night.” Sungjin said and immediately Jisung and his team got up to bow once more. Jisung let Chan and Changbin start to leave first before he followed behind them and as he stepped outside the brightly lit hallway of the main security building, he heard Dowoon laugh at something Jae said.

His thoughts were sweeping him away like a strong current and he hesitated to follow when Chan and Changbin stepped into the elevator.

“Are you coming, Jisung?” Changbin asked with a confused frown.

“Yes,” the younger nodded immediately and stepped into the car. After the doors closed and they were in private for a little while as the car descended, he sighed. “I’m still not used to meetings with our seniors.”

“You better get used to it,” Chan chuckled while he scrolled through his phone. “it’s not going to be the last. Besides, the hyungs are just scary to the trainees. They’re pretty nice people.”

“Yeah, let’s just forget that Sungjin-hyung almost broke my spine.” Jisung shuddered at the memory.

“And almost tore off my shoulder,” Changbin followed.

Chan was quiet for a moment. “He made me defuse a bomb, told me it was fake, but it turned out to be real.”

“What the fuck?” Changbin exclaimed while Jisung gaped. “Really?!”

Chan nodded. “Yeah, it was part of my training. I think I was eighteen when that happened.”

“You could’ve died, hyung!” Jisung said.

“Well, yeah, but I didn’t.” Chan beamed proudly. “and because of that, I learned how to defuse a bomb. Cool huh?”

“Our seniors are crazy.” Sighing, Jisung leaned on the cold mirrored wall of the elevator since they still had about five floors to go.

“But they made us the best of the best in Seoul, right? Hell, maybe, even the best in the whole kingdom!” Chan added helpfully which earned a bitter laugh from the younger guard. He frowned; “Are you still thinking about what Minho said, Jisung?”

“Maybe, I should just push for that reassignment. I’m fine just being an entourage.” The younger sighed while he stared at his polished shoes against the mosaic flooring of the elevator.

Chan and Changbin glanced at each other and it was Changbin who spoke this time.

“Okay, first of all,” the older guard said. “you are way too overqualified for entourage duty, Han Jisung. All your special training will go to waste. Second,” Changbin continued. “I’m sure hyung didn’t mean that. He was shaken at what happened and well, Minho tends to forget his brain-to-mouth filter whenever he’s on the edge.”

“What about Felix?” Jisung asked quietly.

“He tends to shut down,” Changbin sighed. “and goes on autopilot.”

“Like that one time he locked himself out of the car at one in the morning in the middle of nowhere after you had that big fight?” Chan recalled the memory.

“Yeah,” a grimace. “drove me crazy because he locked his phone in the car too and no one could contact him. I had to ask a Jae-hyung’s help to track Felix’s phone.” He turned to Jisung who watched them quietly. “Did hyung apologize yet?”

Jisung’s gaze lowered sadly and shook his head. It’s been a week since then and Minho barely said a word to him that wasn’t related to work. In return, Jisung acted pretty coldly towards Minho too and it secretly made him feel worse. It got pretty bad whenever Jisung was already in bed at night and the silence of his room encouraged the thoughts of doubt in his head.

_“It’s not like I asked for it! I only agreed to this because you all forced me to!”_

“I hope he apologizes soon, Jisung.” Chan’s strong grip on his shoulder. He squeezed once to encourage him, and it helped a little.

“Hyung and I are going to go out and buy some food,” Changbin cut in with an offer. “you wanna tag along or do you want to go back? Just tell us what you want to eat.” When the elevators fell into a stop and the doors opened, the three of them stepped out into the lobby. Jisung perked up that. He could really use the distraction and he was hungry. Maybe some hot food will make him feel better.

“Sure.” He nodded with a smile.

“Cool,” Changbin grinned and the three of them headed out the building’s front door. “so, about the bridge rap, were you able to revise the lyrics to match Chan’s beat?”

“Please tell me you did,” Chan groaned. “it’s been keeping me up at night. I don’t think I’d get proper sleep until that part’s done.”

“Hyung’s so passionate that his songs don’t let him sleep.” Jisung laughed, the strange pang in his chest momentarily forgotten.

_** Meanwhile… ** _

“Hyung?”

“Hyung!”

_“LEE MINHO!”_

Minho snapped back to full attention and glared at Seungmin. “What is the meaning of this disrespect, Kim Seungmin?”

“It means that I’ve been trying to get your attention for the past sixty seconds and you just kept on staring at your stupid phone.” Seungmin waved his hand in front of Minho’s face and the crown prince merely rolled his eyes irritably.

“What is it now?”

“Sign these.” Seungmin dropped three folders on Minho’s desk. “I have three more policies that I’m reviewing. I’ll hand them over for you to approve after I’m done. Also, you should think about the dike project on the east side of the Han river. It’ll be beneficial for the residents there considering how that area tends to flood during monsoon season.”

The crown prince groaned, and his shoulders sagged while he let his head drop back on the backrest of his chair. He idly spun around while he watched the wooden ceiling of the royal study that was lined with gold paint.

“It’s like, eleven in the evening, you slave driver,” he muttered at his royal advisor and close friend. “why do you do this to me? What have I ever done to you?”

“You sound like Hyunjin.” Seungmin sighed while he slipped off his reading glasses and placed it on the table on front of him. He rubbed his eyes, just as exhausted as Minho was. “I really want to fuck out of here, but we need to hand these out to the council first thing in the morning or we won’t be able to enjoy our holiday trip without them calling us every ten minutes.”

Once again, Kim Seungmin was right.

“About that dike project,” Minho continued to idly twist his chair from side to side while he stared at the high ceiling. “I want to speak to the Seoul’s chief urban engineer first.”

“Why?”

“There are marsh areas there where swans nest in the spring,” Minho replied. “I don’t want them to get harmed.”

That got Seungmin’s attention and was taken back by the prince’s decision. “Who told you that?”

“Jisung did.” Minho replied simply. “He mentioned it to me before. He said that we could check them out in the spring when the swans fly back in from migration.”

“And Jisung knows about this because…?” the younger asked.

“He said that he explored that area when he first came to Seoul because he was bored.”

Seungmin was quiet while he considered Minho’s suggestion. “You’re right, that would harm the nesting area and there’s nothing we can do about that; the dike will take up that space.”

Minho frowned and straightened out to watch Seungmin. “But,” Seungmin continued while he idly tapped his pen on the table like he always did whenever he was deep in thought. Minho found it annoying, but if it helped Seungmin’s thought process to come up with solutions, then he tolerated it. “I think what we can do is that we can transfer the swans to a safer location.”

“What about that forest sanctuary near the city?”

Seungmin perked up at the suggestion. “You mean, Lee Sanghoon Park?”

That jogged Minho’s memory and he remembered Lee Sanghoon.

The name came back to him from when he and Jisung went to the royal library in Seoul University. He said that he’d investigate why this king’s successor wasn’t in the history books but never really got back to it after the events that transpired. Not only that, Minho had been drowning in paperwork and meetings. He totally forgot that the sanctuary was also named after that Joseon king because of his love for nature.

Minho read that during Sanghoon’s rule, the royal estate looked like paradise. Peacocks roamed the place and the gardens contained flowers and evergreens that thrived even in winter. The koi pond in front of the old ginkgo tree that Minho liked to sit under was from Sanghoon’s time. He mentioned it to Seungmin before and asked if he had any books in their library at home about the guy.

“Hyung?” Seungmin sighed. “There you go spacing out again.”

“Yes, that particular park.” The elder quickly nodded. “Could you help me with that? I really don’t want the swans to build their nest when the construction starts.”

“It’s going to take some work, but I think the environmentalist organizations and volunteers will be more than happy to help relocate the swans.” Seungmin nodded. “Let’s look into it more tomorrow. We must finish these policies tonight.”

“Sure, you’re highness.” Minho rolled his eyes. The next hour passed by in silence while the two continued to work until midnight. In the middle of it, Felix dropped by with a tray of fresh coffee that he brewed. Minho and Seungmin were both grateful that the youngest prince brought them coffee because their work was far from done. Felix hugged Seungmin who pretended to grimace at his skinship (but secretly enjoyed it because Felix always gave the best hug next to Chan) and kissed Minho on the cheek before he bid them good night.

Time flew by and they finished at around two in the morning. After Minho signed the last batch of documents and placed it on the ‘Finally Fucking Done’ pile on the table, he removed his glasses and ran a hand down his face with a long and pained groan.

“Oh my god, we can finally sleep.” He mocked sob. “Thank you to whatever higher power that’s watching.”

“I thought these were never going to end.” Seungmin sighed while he placed his own glasses back in their case. “Can I stay in the guest room, hyung? I don’t want to drive home at this hour. My stuff is already in there.”

“You can stay in my room if you want. I have a couch.” Minho offered to which Seungmin scoffed.

“I’ll take a bed over a couch any time, thank you very much.”

“Aish, it’s not like we haven’t shared a bed before.” Minho rolled his eyes. “It’s no big deal, but sure, just crash next door.”

“Thanks.” Seungmin rubbed his eyes. “Uhm, let’s clean up the coffee tray Bokkie brought over. They might attract ants.”

Minho nodded and helped Seungmin organize the last of the papers before they picked up the coffee mugs and saucers to place back on the tray. They quietly made their way down to the kitchen and placed the tray on the island counter for the staff to clean in the morning. The halls of the royal palace were eerie at night with the muted eyes of the past kings and queens that stared at them from the ancient tapestries.

“Hey, Seungminnie?” Minho broke the silence while they climbed the stairs.

“Yes?”

“Can I ask you something?” Minho paused in the middle of the winding staircase and looked at the younger who was three steps below him.

“You already did,” Seungmin tilted his head. “what is it?”

“Am I…?” Minho began but hesitated and bit his lower lip. That immediately sparked concern in Seungmin.

“What’s wrong, hyung?”

“I mean, am I a jerk? Like,” Minho tried to continue. “I mean, do you think I just end up hurting everyone in the end?” His shoulders sagged when his voice trailed off towards the end and he averted his gaze. He sighed and sat on the step he was on. He didn’t even bother to look up when Seungmin sat beside him. The two of them stared at the landing at the bottom of the stairs. Now that Minho wasn’t distracted by work, the crappy feeling slithered back in his mind, cold as serpents.

“Where is this coming from?” Seungmin asked gently. “Did something happen?”

Slowly, Minho turned to face Seungmin from where the other sat beside him and told him what happened at the country club between him and Jisung.

“I don’t have a lot of friends,” Minho said afterward. “I only have you guys and Chan and Changbin. Jisung is my friend too, but this past week…” he paused to stare at his toes that peeked out of his slippers. “it’s been long and awkward. I don’t know what to tell him and he doesn’t talk to me besides to tell me that the entourage is ready or if I’m being summoned or if he’s leading me away from crowds.” He buried his face into his hands. “I don’t know what to do and it’s making me feel miserable.”

Seungmin was quiet beside him while he stared at the darkness of the grand hall below them. “Hyung,” he said quietly after a while and when Minho looked at him, he said; “Do you know why we didn’t work out?”

“Because we started fighting a lot and everything turned into a dumpster fire?” Minho asked with a frown.

“Well, yes,” Seungmin replied. “but I think it was also because we were both too stubborn. We didn’t know how to apologize to each other, and we often just swept it under the rug.”

Minho fell quiet at that.

“That’s our mistake, hyung,” Seungmin’s voice was gentle. “we let our pride ruin us until we just felt nothing towards each other anymore. We put our pride over everything else, even each other.”

“But we grew up,” Minho added. Seungmin was younger than him but he had no problem with that back then because he and Seungmin met at the same wavelength due to other being mature for his age.

“Then, why haven’t you apologized to Jisung yet?” Seungmin asked quietly. “You were clearly in the wrong for letting your stress during that situation speak out for you.”

“I-“ Minho wanted to answer but nothing else followed.

“You didn’t hear this from me, Minho-hyung,” Seungmin laced and unlaced his long fingers absently while he juggled the words in his brain. When that got Minho’s attention, he said; “I heard from one of the guards, and no, I’m not dropping the name,” he said the quick disclaimer. “but Jisung’s considering a transfer to entourage duty. I was confused at it at first but now I understand why.”

“What?!” Minho’s voice echoed through the empty halls, eyes wide, while he stared at Seungmin.

“Shhh!”

“Are you…are you sure?” Minho felt something in his break. Was Jisung that desperate to avoid him?

“That’s what I heard,” Seungmin shrugged. “I’m not a fan of gossip so I didn’t linger to listen in more. My guess is, Jisung is second-guessing himself. And for him to _want_ to be transferred, be must really be trying to stay out of your way.” A pause. “Hell, I would too if I was told that I’m only here to fill in a requirement and not because I _earned_ it with my skills.”

“Oh, no,” Minho’s voice trembled, and he buried his face into his hands again. “What have I done?” The thought of not having Jisung as his guard felt so wrong. There would be no one to tell him jokes or make him laugh or even let him get away with stuff that were against royal protocol like buying ramyeon with melted cheese and spicy fish cakes at the convenience store down the street while in a disguise. He tried to imagine what it was like without Jisung and a strange pain speared through his chest like he had been impaled.

What the fuck was happening to him? Jisung was just a guard, right? A guard…that Minho chose… A guard who was also his friend… A friend he had hurt and now wanted to stay as far as possible from him.

“You should apologize, hyung,” Seungmin took Minho’s hand and squeezed it. “don’t make the same mistake with us, even if Jisung is your friend or just your guard, it’s still some sort of relationship just like how you should apologize to Hyunjin or Innie if you end up hurting their feelings. It’s the right thing to do.”

Minho nodded and he laced his fingers with Seungmin’s. He stared at their linked hands and how familiar it felt. Then he let out a dry and quiet chuckle. “This looks familiar, huh?”

“It does, hyung,” Seungmin gave a small smile while he rubbed the back of Minho’s hand with the pad of his thumb. The small ministrations helmed Minho feel a little better.

“but it doesn’t feel the same. Now, it just feels like nothing.” Slowly, Seungmin let go of Minho’s hand. “You are very dear to me, hyung, I will never forget what we had; we did have good memories, but we’re not right for each other.”

“Isn’t it because I fucked up with you too?” Minho asked.

“Like I said, what happened was both of our faults; we were both young and arrogant assholes,” Seungmin got up to his feet and held out his hand towards Minho. “but here’s a cheesy advise; someday, someone will hold your hand and it will feel right. That someone will love you despite all your crap,” a hopeless shake of his head but Minho saw that Seungmin smiled. “I pity the poor fool who will be stuck with you.”

Taking the younger’s hand and letting Seungmin pull him up to his feet, Mino said; “Sleep with one eye open later, Minnie.”

A scoff from Seungmin. “I should’ve snuffed you with a pillow while you slept. I had so many chances back then.”

The crown prince snickered while the two of them climbed up the steps. Minho walked Seungmin to the guest room which was at the end of the hall from where his and Felix’s room were. The younger pushed the door open and bid Minho good night but he stopped when he remembered something.

“Oh, I almost forgot, hyung,” Seungmin perked up. “I found a book at home while I was looking for references on your ancestors. Maybe this would help since you said that a certain era was omitted from the books at the library.”

Minho followed Seungmin in the guest room where his overnight bag was already on floor by the bed. He pulled the zipper and started to rummage through until he pulled out an old and beaten up copy of ‘The Forgotten Monarchs of Joseon’ that was probably printed even before the Great War.

“My mother said that this belonged to her great uncle,” Seungmin walked to where Minho was and handed him the book. “there were only a few copies of this book because many were burned during the Great War. This is a handwritten copy. Please, _please_ , be careful with it, hyung.” He pleaded. “It’s one of my family’s heirlooms. They might disown me if something happens to it and the person who wrote it by hand might come back from the dead and stab us with their quill.”

“Even if I was the one who borrowed it?” Minho asked when he took the book and smoothed his palm over the beaten cover. The spine of the book was even bound by aged twine.

“Maybe?” Seungmin sounded unsure. “Just be careful with it.”

The Kim clan that Seungmin belonged to had served the ruling monarchs as royal counsel regardless of who sat on the throne. They are neutral, and they remained loyal to their creed to counsel the ruler of the kingdom. Their advice and knowledge affect the kingdom by influencing the ruling monarch’s decisions and for them, was considered power.

“Let’s reprint this too, Minnie,” Minho suggested. “This will be a great addition to the royal library.”

“Great idea, hyung.” Seungmin stifled a yawn. “Now, I’m going to bed, so I’ll see when I’m human again in the morning.”

“Good night, Minnie,” Minho smiled and left the younger with a little wave before he exited the hall and headed to his room.

In his room, Minho washed up and slipped out of his princely day clothes and into comfortable sleepwear that consisted of an oversized shirt with the logo of his favorite idol group and pajama pants. After he did his nightly facial ritual and gently patted the moisturizer on his face, he crawled into bed and plugged his phone on the bedside table to charge it overnight.

Minho yawned and pulled the blanket up to his waist when he saw Seungmin’s book on the empty side of his king-sized bed. His curiosity got the best of him and turned on his reading lamp before he grabbed the book. Minho just planned to skim through it to find anything about Lee Sanghoon’s descendant. When he flipped open the cover, the smell of mildew and earthy must of ancient pages assaulted his nose and he sneezed.

“Uhg,” he muttered as he scratched his nose with the back of his hand. “this probably has the ashes of the dead scholars who wrote it.”

Fortunately, there was a table of contents on the second page and Minho prayed silently that whoever wrote this book deserved to be lounging in food and riches in the afterlife (maybe an orgy too) for making Minho’s life easier because, for some reason, ancient scholars didn’t think of putting indices or tables of content.

The tip of his fingers slid down the old ink on the paper, grateful that he was taught to read Old Korean by the royal tutors when he was a kid. He read through the list until a _very_ familiar name caught his attention;

_Lee Minho, page 25_

“What…the hell…?” Minho mouthed soundlessly. He quickly flipped to page 25 with his heart clogging up his throat and began to read. The passage was short with the text occupying only one page but it was enough to send Minho into a spiral;

_Lee Minho, crown prince of the Lee clan, first son of king Lee Sanghoon. His highness, Minho, was a timid child who had a passionate love for singing and dancing. He often begged his mother, Areum, the second concubine of his majesty Lee Sanghoon, to invite traveling operas to the palace so that he can watch them perform. The palace was often filled with music during prince Minho’s childhood. After his studies, the young prince often sat under the ginkgo tree at the palace garden to watch the colorful fish in the pond when the water wasn’t frozen by the frost of winter._

_Crown prince Lee Minho took over the throne as a regent after his father fell ill and cannot perform royal duties. He had a younger half-brother, prince Jihoon, who assisted his rule. During the regency era of the crown prince, the kingdom’s art and trade flourished. However, an unfortunate plague had corrupted the crown prince’s mind. On the night of the first full moon of spring, the crown prince’s mother entered his sleeping chambers and found her son bare and in bed with another man who is crown prince Minho’s royal guard._

Minho could feel like he was being strangled and he felt tears prick his eyes and blur his vision, but he continued to read;

_The palace guards stormed in at the queen mother’s screams. The royal guard was arrested, and the crown prince was locked into his room for many days to atone for his scandalous and carnal sin of entangling with a man and wasting the royal seed that must only be dispensed to bear heirs. The queen mother ordered the palace guards and servants who witnessed this to have their tongues cut out the following morning so that word of the scandal will never spread._

_When the crown prince was released after several weeks, he was told that his royal guard was executed on the night of his arrest. Distraught, crown prince Minho fell ill with an ailment that took his life after many months, and his younger brother, prince Jihoon became king after their father’s death, shortly after. After prince Minho’s death, the palace became silent as if the earth, water, and sky mourned him. In his passing, he took the music and dance with him and the halls became eerily silent afterward as if cursed by the late crown prince’s sorrow._

_King Jihoon invited hundreds of traveling operas and musicians to entertain his court, his wife, and his concubines, but the effect left just as quickly and never lingered._

It ended there and Minho closed the book slowly. Two fat drops splattered on the old cover and formed dark stains when his tears fell.

Why?

Why was he crying? Was it because his namesake’s life was so tragic? History and stories never made Minho cry before, so why now? Why did he feel like his heart was being torn into pieces? Why did he feel like he was yearning for someone?

Why did he have the strong urge to run to the security dorms right now?

“It wasn’t fair, I’m sorry. You only loved who your heart wanted, there isn’t anything wrong with that.” He whispered brokenly to the book that will never answer him back. Minho wiped his tears with the collar of his shirt before he placed Seungmin’s book on the bedside table beside his phone. When he looked at the time, he saw that he had spent thirty minutes reading and he felt his head throb with a migraine from the sudden crying.

He reached for the lamp and turned it off, submerging his room with darkness except for the muted light that flooded in from the lamp posts in the garden. Minho laid on his side and watched the book that was on his nightstand.

“I hope,” he whispered to his namesake and his unnamed lover. “that you two had found each other, wherever you may be now.”

Exhaustion slowly engulfed Minho like a blanket and his heartbeat slowed down as sleep pulled him into a vivid dream.

He wore a red and gold _Gonryongpo_ that flapped in the wind while he danced happily under the old ginkgo tree with a nameless man who wore the black and silver robes of a general. His eyes glinted in the moonlight when he smiled brightly at him.

_“I want to dance with you like this forever, hyung.”_

_“We will, until the stars in the sky run out.”_

A deep and gleeful laugh from his general. _“That would take many lifetimes!”_

_“Then, let’s agree to always find each other in every one of them.”_

_“I swear to you that I will, my king.”_ The general bowed before him and then, he was pulled into a long and lingering kiss that only the fireflies and the ginkgo tree witnessed.

In his sleep, a tear slid down Minho’s cheek and disappeared into his pillow.


	9. Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DON'T piss off Prince Lee Minho.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys. I'm back with an update. Sorry if it took a while. I guess, it'll take long from this point on since I tend to be very busy during the end of the year and the start of the following year. Life has also been difficult for me both emotionally and mentally and I'm struggling to take one step at a time. Anyway, here's chapter 9! I hope you all enjoy it.

Jisung woke up early the following day so that he could run in the morning before he clocked in for work. When he exited his room at five-thirty in the morning, his shared dorm with his co-royal guards was quiet since Changbin and Chan were still asleep.

Well, maybe…

Chan rarely even slept and Jisung was worried about the elder. He already had a heavy weight of responsibility on his shoulders as Second Commander and still manages to produce music after he was off the clock under a stage name. The man’s passion was amazing and Jisung thought that Changbin was no different; except, Changbin actually sleeps… or maybe he does now because he would get an earful from prince Felix if he didn’t.

By the door, Jisung tied the laces of his running shoes tightly and zipped up his jacket to his chin after he secured his cap over his head. Then, he quietly exited the dorm and headed out into the biting early morning cold.

The royal estate was big enough that it might as well be a town of its own. The cold winter morning bit the pale skin of Jisung’s cheeks, making them flush but his body was hot from the jacket and the exercise. He also made his early morning run double as a patrol and he took a route around the estate to check the back gates and wall perimeter that separated it from the outside to make sure that there weren’t any breaches. There were some nightshift guards who waved at him while they made their way back to the security building and Jisung waved back at them with a bright grin. He knew some of them by name and actually talked to them, while there were others that he only knew by face and greeted on the halls with a nod.

One full lap around the estate was enough for Jisung considering the huge land area of the whole place but he decided to make another half lap for good measure. While he ran, he let his thoughts fly and the frost of the early dawn cleared his head.

The documents to request his transfer were already on the desk in his room, signed and ready to go. Chan and Changbin knew about his plans but they tried to convince him every day to stay in their team. He could see the sincerity of the two older guards, but it was Jisung’s anxieties that prompted him. He pushed his legs to run was faster and while he did, he jabbed a few times in the air with a basic punching pattern. The same words of doubt replayed in his mind;

_“It’s not like I asked for it! I only agreed to this because you all forced me to!”_

Something in his chest ached like it was being pierced and Jisung was again reminded that he was only here because the crown prince had no choice. He was just a requirement and although the pay was great, it pained his pride. Under normal circumstances, Jisung wouldn’t care but Minho was different; he had raised Jisung’s self-confidence during his trainee days and heck, even baked him a cheesecake to encourage him only to crush that in the end.

This wasn’t the first time someone tried to bring Jisung down because insults and belittling were what he ate every day at Club MIROH but, now that it came from Minho… it hurt. A lot.

Why? Was it because he thought Minho was his friend? It could be that, but there was something else that Jisung didn’t understand.

When he rounded a corner towards the garden, he found himself in a section that he’s never been to before but he felt a strange familiarity with it. There was a ginkgo tree that had almost shed off all its leaves for the coming winter and a beautiful pond with a wooden bridge touched by the cold frost. A cold breeze blew down on Jisung which made his breath fog in front of his face. He felt goosebumps all over his body and it was like someone dumped a bucket of ice water on him.

Why did this place look familiar? Why did he feel like he’s been here before when this was the first time he’s been on this part of the garden since he became royal guard?

The next thing he knew, Jisung was walking towards the bench under the ginkgo tree as if his legs grew a mind of their own. Then, he looked up at the skeleton of the tree that pierced through the dawn colored sky and a wave of nostalgia washed over him that turned into a heavy sadness that weighed on his chest.

It was a bittersweet feeling and it confused Jisung.

Suddenly, his attention was caught by a hooded figure that moved quietly through the bushes. Jisung’s senses immediately went on high alert and he pulled up his own hood over his head to conceal his face. Then, he reached for a small holster by his belt and slowly unsheathed a hunting knife.

On silent feet as if a predator on the prowl, Jisung followed the hooded figure towards the high concrete walls that surrounded the compound. When the person stopped, Jisung quickly hid behind the shadow of a tree with low-lying branches and peered through the bushes.

The person made a soft hissing noise followed by a couple of clicks of their tongue as if they were calling some…thing(?), and Jisung’s eyes widened at the familiar tone. Three cats immediately jumped out of the bushes that lined the bottom of the concrete wall and dashed towards Minho where they excitedly rubbed themselves on his legs.

“Alright, alright,” Minho laughed gently while he crouched down and put down the little tote bag he carried. “There’s enough for everyone so just behave, alright?”

Jisung’s grip immediately loosened around the handle of his weapon and he skillfully sheathed it soundlessly back into the holster on the small of his back. What was the crown prince doing out here at this hour? And cats? He figured out that they were probably strays that sneaked in and out of the palace and they definitely liked Minho.

He felt his heart skip when Minho pulled back his hood to ruffle his sleep drawn hair that stuck out in different directions. He pulled out a container of dry cat food and three small bowls on the ground. He filled them up while the cats meowed impatiently.

“You guys are so demanding,” Minho sighed while he watched each cat go to a bowl of food. He kept the container back into the tote bag and sat cross-legged on the grass while he watched the cats eat in front of him. “I hope guys slept well last night. Are you staying warm on the streets?

The cats ignored him while they wolfed down their food and Minho gave a sad smile. “I wish I could take you in the palace. Life on the streets must be difficult.” A sigh. “But father doesn’t want pets in the house. It,” his lower lip quivered. “animals remind him of mother. I bet she would’ve loved you guys if she was still here.”

The sadness in Minho’s tone broke something in Jisung; he wanted to reach out to the elder and caress the other’s cheek until he wasn’t sad anymore.

“I didn’t sleep well, Soonie,” Minho admitted to one of the cats while he petted the fat tabby colored one and the feline purred at his touch. “I had a sad dream. I also have a lot of things in my mind,” he admitted as if the cats were the only ones who ever listened to him. Jisung felt like he was intruding in the private moment, so he slowly backed away.

A twig cracked.

Minho’s head shot up towards Jisung’s direction and he was met by a sharp glare shadowed by the leaves. When their eyes met, Jisung saw that Minho’s were swollen and bloodshot like he cried before he slept, and his cheeks were puffy too.

“Step out, Han Jisung.” Minho asked but he made no move to get up on his feet. “Why are you following me this early?”

The crown prince’s tone was soft, but he did not look pleased that he caught Jisung spying on him and in the middle of an embarrassing moment of talking to cats. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and fully revealed himself.

“Good morning, your highness,” Jisung mustered out. He tried to put on a pleasant expression, but it was difficult to do so since he was still upset about what happened at the country club. “I wasn’t trying to follow you.” He admitted. “I was out for a morning run but then I saw someone sneak through this area, so I followed. I didn’t know it was you.”

Minho watched him and Jisung felt like folding under that quiet gaze. He didn’t speak unless he was spoken to first, just as it was taught to him when interacting with the royal family; he was just a guard, after all.

Finally, Minho nodded. “Okay, but it’s just the two of us right now. Why don’t you call me hyung?”

Jisung was taken back by that. Two blinks out of confusion and he racked his bewildered mind for an answer. “I-I, uhm,” he stammered and forced out an “okay, hyung.”

He saw a quiet sadness shadow through Minho’s gaze and Jisung felt guilty at that. Did he say something wrong? Did he fuck up again? Wasn’t that how it was supposed to be?

“Come here so I can introduce you.” A small and sad smile when Minho gestured at the cats. “Unless you’ll die of allergies like Hyunjin?” the latter part ended up as a question.

Jisung quickly shook his head. “No, I’m not allergic, hyung.” He took careful steps towards Minho so that he did not startle the cats. The smallest of the trio with gray fur stared at him with wide fearful eyes.

“It’s okay, Dori,” Minho cooed and petted the cat who twitched its tail alertly while Jisung approached. “he’s a good person. Just think of him as a giant squirrel.”

A smile twitched on Jisung’s lips, but he was still careful of his actions when he sat down beside Minho on the grass and he made sure that there was still an acceptable distance between them. Minho seemed to deflate at that.

“This sweet one's name is Soonie.” Minho said when he took the biggest cat with fluffy orange fur. He also appeared to the biggest. The cat purred when Minho rubbed his chin. “She looks out for the other two who are younger. They basically stick together.”

“Where do they live?” Jisung asked while he reached to pet Soonie’s wide head and the cat rubbed against Jisung’s hand.

“They don’t have a home,” Minho replied. “but they sneak in here and I give them food whenever I can.”

Soonie jumped out of Minho’s arms and climbed onto Jisung’s lap which startled him. He froze and stared wide-eyed at the cat who curled up on him while he folded his legs underneath him. Jisung made a confused noise and looked at Minho.

“He likes you.” Minho nodded.

Jisung gulped and carefully ran his hand over Soonie’s head in a slow rhythm. When the cat started to purr contently, Jisung managed a nervous smile which turned into a full-blown grin. “He really does?” he asked Minho who merely nodded with a gentle smile. The smallest gray furred cat bumped his head on the prince’s knee and Minho reached out to scratched behind his ears then moved underneath his chin which also earned him a satisfied purr.

“This little one is Dori,” Minho continued. “He’s the youngest and follows Soonie and Doongie around. They didn’t like him before, especially Doongie, but they get along now.”

“So, that one’s Doongie?” Jisung motioned and the white and orange cat continued to watch them with wary eyes, tail swaying side to side slowly. Minho nodded.

“Bratty middle child.” He said. “He likes you according to his mood.” A thoughtful pause. “Right now, he doesn’t look too friendly so I guess we shouldn’t pet him.”

“How long have you been feeding them, hyung?”

Minho watched as Dori moved away from his hand to stretch and plop down on the grass beside him. “Soonie, for about 3 years now and 2 with Doongie when he appeared with Soonie one summer. Dori appeared early this year.”

“It’s like Soonie is gathering friends.” Jisung smiled gently while he continued to pet Soonie on his lap. There was a silence that fell between them while the sun broke through the horizon and the birds started their morning songs while the dark sky broke into the colors of the sunrise. When Soonie got bored, he got up from Jisung’s lap and when he did the other two cats got up to follow the eldest.

“Soonie is like their leader,” Jisung quietly voiced out his thoughts. “how cute.”

“I know, right?” Minho chuckled while he gathered the empty bowls and placed them back into the tote back along with the container of cat food. “Kind of reminds me of you, Chan, and Changbin.”

“So, I’m like Dori, huh?” Jisung laughed.

“Well, you’re the youngest, so, yes.” The crown prince muttered. “you’re the cutest too.”

“What?” Jisung asked, not being able to catch what Minho said under his breath.

“Nothing.”

After Minho gathered the kitty bowls, he stood up a little too quickly. It was fine at first but then his lack of sleep caught up with him and the world started to spin. His eyes looked around blindly while his vision was consumed with white and he lost his balance. When he started to lose his footing because of the ground turning uneven under him, he fell back head-first.

He dropped the tote bag and there was suddenly a strong grip that locked around his waist to catch him.

“Hyung?” Came Jisung’s worried voice. “Are you okay?”

When Minho’s vision cleared, he saw Jisung’s face right in front of him. Minho felt his heart in his throat; Jisung was so close… So close that this was the first time he really saw Jisung’s features. His eyes were dark, and they stared deep into his with his brows scrunched up in worry. He also noticed the small white gap on Jisung’s left brow, most likely a scar that healed that way. The bridge of his nose was straight, and Minho’s hazy vision trailed down slowly to settle on those lips.

They moved but Minho only heard ringing in his ears.

“Hyung? Minho-hyung!” Minho was just tired, there was no need to get all worked up.

Jisung looked like he was on the verge of panic and it was utterly ridiculous right now that Minho wanted to kiss him so bad just to shut him up.

“I’m okay,” Minho slurred. “I guess I stood up too fast and I’m still tired because Seungmin would kill me in my sleep if I didn’t sign the stupid papers.”

“I’ll take you back to the palace.” Jisung frowned. Minho watched in confused bewilderment when Jisung knelt on the ground on one knee with his back towards him. “Climb on, hyung.”

“Are you joking?”

“No, I’m not,” Jisung looked over his shoulder at Minho and those expressive eyes of his certainly did not tell that he was doing this for kicks. “you almost fainted from fatigue. I’m not going to make you walk all the way back to the palace on your own.”

“I’m heavy.” Minho felt his cheeks burn.

“I’d rather get back pain than to have you pass out from the lack of sleep, hyung,” Jisung sighed. “please, get on.”

Minho hesitated and he felt embarrassed to be carried back to the palace on a piggyback ride, but he guessed that it was better than being carried like a bride or being dragged by the legs. In the end, he sighed because Jisung was right; he can’t risk fainting from fatigue if he insisted that he walked all the way back. The royal estate isn’t exactly small, after all.

“Sorry, I’m sweaty, hyung, I just came from a morning run.” Jisung quickly apologized when Minho climbed on and kept perfectly steady when the elder’s arms wrapped around him.

“It’s okay, you’re warm,” Minho muttered because Jisung really did feel warm. His back radiated with welcomed heat through his sports jacket when Minho pressed against it and it made the freezing morning tolerable. He wasn’t sure if it was the exhaustion that was making his brain glitch, but he felt like he just…wanted to curl up and press against Jisung all morning until he fell asleep. When Minho’s legs straddled around Jisung’s waist, the guard hoisted him up with one swift movement and locked his forearms underneath his calves to secure him. Minho’s head lolled back and forth while Jisung walked, his vision, still hazy from the maws of fatigue almost consuming him earlier. He let his instinct kick in and rested his head against the younger’s shoulder.

This was the last thing Jisung expected today and it wasn’t even seven AM yet. The morning was quiet. The air was cold, and a couple of birds sang while the royal gardens slowly roused for the day. Minho relished the warmth that radiated off Jisung as he was lulled into it, he unconsciously buried his face into the other’s shoulder, nuzzling.

“H-Hyung?” There was a hitch in Jisung’s voice, and his step faltered a bit but he regained his footing, afraid that he might drop the crown prince.

“You’re so warm, Jisungie,” Minho murmured, his breath tickling Jisung’s ear and his cheeks burned so hotly, and it spread around his face that he was sure that his ears were red.

“I’m glad you think so, your highness.” Jisung managed to stutter out.

There was tired sigh and goosebumps rose on his skin when the crown prince’s breath tickled the shell of his ear again. “You’re calling me that again.”

“Sorry, hyung,”

Another pregnant pause fell over them with only the rhythm of Jisung’s shoes crunching on the gravel path to fill it in.

“Please don’t apologize. I’m the one who should be sorry, Jisungie.” Minho said quietly and he genuinely sounded sad, to Jisung’s surprise. “I’m really sorry about what I said at the country club.” He continued quietly, the words almost whispers. “I was terrified that my father and uncle were harmed, and I let it out on you. You didn’t deserve that, and I didn’t mean anything I said.”

Jisung felt like crying but he kept a steady face and pushed while he carried Minho on his back.

“You don’t have to forgive me right now,” Minho continued gently. “you have every right to be mad at me because I hurt you, but I hope that you can forgive me and,” he paused. “give it another chance to be my royal guard…” he trailed off and Jisung’s heart skipped a beat when Minho’s arms tightened around him as if he embraced him from behind. “Please, don’t transfer, Jisungie. Don’t leave…” he trailed off again. “I like being with you.”

Heat fluttered in Jisung’s stomach which spread all over his body. A minute trickled by when he noticed that Minho had become quiet, his breathing, steady. The crown prince must have drifted to sleep from an exhausting and sleepless night.

The palace was still quiet but there were already maids and a few butlers shuffling around quietly to prepare for the day. Jisung threw a quick smile at one of the maids who saw him carrying Minho on his back and when a butler stepped forward with a worried expression, Jisung merely shook his head and mouthed a soundless ‘he’s okay.’ The royal guard decided that he wasn’t going to risk taking the stairs with such precious cargo on his back, so he headed to the elevator that was usually used by the staff. When he realized that his hands were full of holding Minho on his back Jisung checked that no one was looking before he used the tip of his shoe to press the button for the third floor.

Jisung’s senses were heightened and the gentle puffs of air from Minho’s breath on the side of his neck tickled. The corridor was empty when Jisung stepped out into the hall of the third floor. When he reached the door of Minho’s bedroom, he noticed that it was also quiet in Felix’s room which was across the hall.

He groaned internally when he realized once again that he would have to open the door, but his hands were full, and he couldn’t use his foot this time. He can’t open the door without dropping the prince halfway and Minho wasn’t exactly light.

Suddenly, he froze when the doorknob of Felix’s room opened and Changbin stepped out, dressed in a white shirt, hoodie, and sweatpants. The other guard froze when he met Jisung’s surprised gaze and Jisung saw the dark faint hickeys on his neck. They stared at each other, wide-eyed and questioning.

Huh, so Changbin didn’t sleep at the dorm last night.

Then, Felix appeared, and he looked more scandalous than Changbin because the youngest prince had a silk robe on that revealed a full frontal of his chest since the fabric was tied loosely around his slender waist. Felix had more hickeys than Changbin did and to add to it, there were bite marks littered all over his chest and neck.

Well, shit, looks like Changbin went all out last night.

Felix immediately covered his chest, his face red while Changbin awkwardly cleared his throat and looked away from Jisung’s shocked gaze. Felix frowned when he saw his older brother unconscious and stepped out of his room’s doorway, barefoot.

“Is he okay?” He whispered lowly and worriedly.

Jisung nodded. “Yeah, he said that he didn’t sleep well last night and almost lost his balance when he suddenly stood up. It’s probably from the fatigue.”

“You guys were out?” Changbin asked quietly this time.

“I went out for a morning run and found his highness feeding some stray cats at the back of the estate.”

Felix’s eyes lit up and his kiss bruised lips (courtesy of Changbin) parted in a quiet gasp of recognition. “Oh, right!” he said. “Soonie, Doongie, and Dori!”

“Yeah, them,” Jisung replied with a small smile before he looked at Changbin. “Hyung, could you help me with the door?”

Without another word, Changbin quickly crossed the space between them and opened the door to Minho’s bedroom before Jisung stepped in. He nodded towards the youngest prince and his royal guard when they offered to help him set Minho down on the bed and the three of them carefully lowered the crown prince on his nest of blankets and pillows.

Jisung could feel two pairs of eyes watch him while he gently placed a blanket over Minho after he removed his sneakers and pulled it up to the prince’s chest. Jisung spared a few long seconds to stare at Minho’s sleeping form. He remembered the heat that rushed through his body as the older whispered into his ear, pleading not to push on with his plans of transferring teams. He remembered the gentle smile on Minho’s face while he adored the cats and watched them eat; he remembered the tired and swollen look in his eyes as if he cried himself to sleep; he remembered his scent and the branding heat of his body against his while Jisung carried him…

Jisung looked at Minho’s sleeping form and memorized every single elegant line on his face. He wanted to reach out and gently caress his fingertips on them and brush back the dark strands of hair on the prince’s face. A wave of protectiveness washed over Jisung, something that felt oddly familiar like the strange nostalgia he got when he looked at the old ginkgo tree.

“Jisung?” Felix’s concerned tone snapped him out of his thoughts. “Are you okay?”

He managed a smile and took a step back. He needed to back off and process what Minho told him first before he could give an answer. The transfer documents on his desk are ready to be submitted… or shredded, should Jisung decide not to go through with it.

“I’m okay, Lix,” Jisung flashed him a small smile. He took a deep breath and averted his gaze so that he didn’t have to catch sight of Changbin’s observant eyes. “Hyung,” he continued. “he apologized to me.”

A bright smile lit up Felix’s feline-like features and he turned to Changbin who gave him a satisfied smile.

“That’s good!” Felix said happily under his breath so that he didn’t disturb his brother. “So, you guys are okay now, right?”

“Will you still push through with _it_ , Jisung?” Changbin followed Felix’s question with quiet anticipation. “You’re staying?”

“I’m still thinking about it,”

Changbin’s and Felix’s smiles disappeared.

“I didn’t really get the chance to talk with him earlier because he passed out,” Jisung forced out apologetically. “I want to clear it out with him first.”

Changbin and Felix shared another quiet look, a wordless conversation between people who have been together for a while now that they knew what the other was thinking.

“Okay,” Felix nodded and reached out to gently take Jisung by the arm. “why don’t you and Binnie wake Seungmin up and we can all have breakfast together?”

“Do you want me and Jisung to die?” Changbin frowned. “Do you know how terrifying Kim Seungmin is when you wake him up?”

Felix rolled his eyes and leaned in to plant a quick kiss on his guard’s cheek. “My love, you took down five men armed with semi-automatic rifles with just an iron pipe because you ran out of bullets. Minnie won’t be a problem.”

Jisung gaped at Changbin in shock, not knowing which caught him off guard more; Felix calling Changbin ‘my love’ like they were married or the fact the Changbin was a monster on the field when needed to.

“I-…!” Changbin started to protest but Felix just shrugged him off. “Let’s have breakfast together in the garden gazebo today. I’m going to shower.” Then, the youngest prince waltzed out of the room with a skip in his step and slammed his own door.

Beside him, Changbin’s shoulders slumped at Felix’s request. Jisung turned to him; “Hyung, why don’t you do it this time and show me the ropes?” A smile.

“This was not the death I expected.” Changbin sighed.

*

The Hwang Estate

“Minho, why don’t you mingle?” Lee Dongwook asked his oldest nephew while he took two champagne flutes from a passing server and handed one to Minho who took it with a nod of thanks.

Minho was lost in his thoughts while he thought about the events of that morning; feeding Soonie, Doongie, and Dori, bumping into Jisung near the old ginkgo tree, the strange and vivid dream he had the night before and being carried by Jisung on his back. When he woke up, he was in his room, safely tucked into his bed with his shoes on the floor. He was alone and thought whether he was just dreaming until he heard voices outside his window. When he checked, he saw Changbin, Felix, Seungmin, and Jisung laughing together at the gazebo out at the garden while they had breakfast together. Minho felt a pang of hurt that he wasn’t invited but realized that Jisung and the others wanted him to rest since he did pass out from exhaustion.

He didn’t see Jisung at all until that evening. Minho spent his day exercising then looked into some more documents. Early in the afternoon, Minho spent some time with Felix at their mother’s old dance studio at the back of the palace, practicing choreography that the two of them collaborated with. They don’t film their dance sessions because the brothers considered it to be private and this was usually something they did as a bonding moment.

Then, that evening, the royal family was invited to Ambassador Hwang’s 58th birthday celebration. Minho attended with Felix, their uncle and their father which made the security tight because of what happened last time. Come to think of it, the last time Minho was here, he was almost shot so that was why he made a point to stay away from the windows.

“I’m alright, uncle,” Minho smiled at Dongwook and took a sip of his champagne. “I’ve been talking to people, so I wanted to get away for a little bit. What about you?”

“I could say the same,” Dongwook gave an exhausted chuckle. His uncle stood beside Minho; he towered a good four inches over his nephew. They were both dressed dapperly with Minho sporting a gray on white suit and his uncle with a deep maroon and black one. “are you okay? This is where _that last one_ happened, right?”

“I’ll be fine as long as I stay away from the windows.” Minho nodded and casually leaned on the hard wall. He watched the grand ballroom of the Hwang mansion buzz with activity. Guests dressed in designer gowns and suits strutted arrogantly like peacocks with their tails fanned out. Well, not all of them; there were those that actually looked good in their outfit. Minho spotted his brother speaking with a politician and her husband at the other side of the ballroom. Felix smiled but and laughed while they conversed, but Minho knew that it was just for show since it didn’t reach his eyes. Not far from Felix, Changbin casually lingered nearby, dressed in a formal suit, and his hair skillfully gelled back to show his undercut and his forehead.

Then, he spotted Jeongin happily carrying a plate of pastries from the buffet table while he made his way by the door where Chan stood nearby the king and Sungjin. He nodded in thanks when their youngest handed him the plate of food before he went off to where Hyunjin and Seungmin were seated with a couple of Hyunjin’s acquaintances.

The center of the room was the dance floor where people waltzed and danced to the song that a small orchestra group played.

“You should dance with someone, uncle,” Minho suggested and beside him, Dongwook scoffed.

“I’ve been dancing the past hour,” He said. “my feet are killing me.”

“You should’ve worn comfortable shoes, then,” The crown prince chuckled while he took a sip of champagne. “I saw at least three people eyeing you.”

“Good things come to those who wait.” Dongwook motioned at a group of people glancing in their direction. Minho averted his gaze and took a drink, pretending that he didn’t see anything. He knew well what was coming; “Why don’t _you_ ask them for a dance?”

“I’m not interested,” Minho made the quick excuse. “Also, my feet are killing me.”

“Aren’t you the kid who likes to dance?” Dongwook teased and Minho rolled his eyes.

“I rather dance on my own than with them.”

“How are you going to find your future queen if you’re stuck up like that?” Dongwook teased and Minho grimaced but made no comment on that. What is with uncles and aunts forcing him to find a partner already? He’s only twenty-five and he’s not even ready to take over the throne yet, much less, get married.

 _‘What if I don’t want a queen?’_ Minho thought to himself while he stared at the golden liquid of his champagne. _‘What if...’_

There was a shriek that demanded the whole attention of the ballroom, the guests quieting down to see what that commotion was about. Even the music stopped.

“You… useless… _imbecile!_ This gown is worth more than what you make in a whole year!”

Minho was distracted by the angry shriek that came on his left and when he turned towards that direction, he saw the daughter of the politician couple Felix was speaking to earlier. She held an empty champagne flute in her hand and in front of her, was Jisung, face flushed, and head bowed low in embarrassment while drenched in champagne that was splashed on his face.

Minho saw red.

It was a clumsy accident and Jisung admitted that it was his fault.

It began with him casually roaming around, making sure that the crown prince was within his line of sight. This was Jisung’s first formal event since becoming a royal guard. Chan’s and Changbin’s instructions were simple; just blend in and keep close to Minho. He was taught to blend well with his surroundings, whether it was with people or among the shadows and it came in useful because Minho didn’t notice that he was there. The older was talking with his uncle while they watched the guests on the dance floor.

Then, he started to get hungry and decided to go to the desert bar that was nearby. He grabbed a saucer and started filling it with fruit slices and marshmallows. Then, he headed to where the chocolate fountain to get some chocolate sauce which he scooped and drizzled over his plate of treats.

Jisung felt excited to eat the treats that he was able to gather on his little plate. He placed a whole chocolate covered strawberry in his mouth and moaned to himself, closing his eyes when the sweet juices burst in his mouth.

“Oh, wow,” He muttered in between chews, his cheeks ballooning like a squirrel’s when he stuffed another strawberry in there. This has got to be the best strawberry he’s ever had. When was the last time he’s had strawberries? Maybe when he was a kid? Even he didn’t even remember.

After that, he went for the caramel glazed apple slices next. His fork pierced through the thin glass of the hardened caramel and buried itself into the fresh apple. But then, Jisung realized that it was stuck, the caramel sticking to the plate.

It took a little effort for Jisung to pull out the apple from where it was stuck on his plate but then, it suddenly popped off and the apple went flying into the air before it slammed against the bodice of a young woman’s gown.

The woman, whom Jisung recognized as one of the companions of the Minister of Health and her husband, screeched when she saw the chocolate stain on her gown. Her head immediately snapped up to glare murderously at Jisung.

“How dare you!” She seethed. “Who do you think _you_ are?!”

“I’m so sorry, Miss-…” Jisung stammered nervously. He felt his face burst in heat from the embarrassment of the whole ballroom staring at him. Fucking hell, even king Jinhee was looking at him.

“You… useless… _imbecile!_ This gown is worth more than what you make in a whole year!” Came another screech and the next thing Jisung knew, the woman splashed her drink on his face, burning his eyes and drenching his suit.

Anger and shame filled Jisung and he clenched his fists from the social abuse, but he couldn’t do anything about it. Shame overwhelmed him and he felt like curling in and shrinking until he could just disappear. If he lashed out, he would be reprimanded, especially that this was a politician’s daughter. Jisung cannot afford to step out of line or else it would spoil the name of the royal family and the competence of the royal guards, especially that he wore the pin on the lapel of his suit. Humbly, Jisung bowed deeply.

“I’m sorry, please forgive me for the clumsiness.” He gritted through clenched teeth while he kept his head bowed. Jisung prepared himself for a tirade from the woman and to call him insults when a new voice cut in, cold as ice. Jisung’s heart slammed against the wall of his chest.

“What the hell is your problem, Cho Hana?” Minho asked, expression dark. His tone held a hard edge of command and reprimand in it, commanding silence from the younger woman. Jisung stared at Minho’s back that was facing him; the crown prince’s stance looked like he was shielding Jisung from her, with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Y-Your highness!” The woman, Hana, quickly lifted the sides of her gown skirt and did a western-style curtsey accompanied with the traditional bow of her bead. “It is terrible.” She lifted herself and stood straight with grace. “My Chanel Ice Queen Winter collection got _purposely_ stained by _that_.” She sneered at Jisung. “Oh, the poor Swarovski crystals now have chocolate all over them and it’s a pity that the fabric is white too.”

Minho felt a vein throb in his forehead at the fake sobs that Hana feigned. “What a terrible person.”

“Is this true?” Minho glanced over his shoulder and gave Jisung an enigmatic look.

“N-No, your highness,” Jisung kept his eyes on the marble floor. “it was an accident, but I did apologize.”

“He apologized,” Minho repeated to Hana, ignoring the whispers that floated around them. It only irritated him more and if only it didn’t tarnish the Lee name, Minho would personally dump the chocolate fountain on her. “But instead, you poured your drink on him.”

“I-…” Hana began but found no excuse for her actions. It was her turn to feel embarrassed and she decided to use her charms on Minho.

Unfortunately for her, Minho’s interest in the opposite sex was like oil and water and it only angered him more when Hana stepped forward and placed a hand on his arm.

“Who is that anyway?” She pouted at Minho and glared at Jisung. “He has no manners and he’s clumsy.” She gave the younger a once-over. “Oh, he’s _just_ a guard.” A roll of her eyes and her dainty fingers curled around Minho’s forearm possessively, but the crown prince didn’t move.

“A clumsy guard like that is bound to fail in his duties. I feel bad for the one he’s tasked of overseeing.” Hana's tone was sweet but it was edged with mockery aimed at the embarrassed guard. Jisung froze, his form stiff but inside, he was quivering from anger and his pride was deeply hurt.

“I wonder who it is.”

There was an audible gasp when Minho slapped Hana’s hand away from his arm. His eyes were dark and if the glare he shot Hana could kill, the woman would be bleeding on the floor. Too bad, Minho wished that was the case.

“In case you’re too full of yourself to see, he’s wearing the royal family’s coat of arms,” The crown prince’s tone was calm but dark. He looked at Hana shrewdly with an arrogant incline of his head as if the woman was dirt under his shoes. “Please allow me to enlighten your lacking knowledge on the royal protocol; I’ll have you know that _he’s_ _mine._ ”

Minho was sure that he heard Felix say ‘oh my god, hyung…’ but he was too focused on the irritating situation to even look at the crowd. He stepped back from Hana and boldly took Jisung’s hand, startling the guard.

“Let’s go, Jisung.” He tugged and started to lead Jisung away.

He watched with mocking satisfaction as Hana’s face turned red from the insult. Minho didn’t even give a shit at the scene he made because first and foremost, Cho Hana started it, and second, no one insults _his own_ and gets away with it scathe-free. Jisung followed wordlessly and halted when Minho stopped beside Hana who couldn’t even look at him.

“Oh, and Hana?” Minho waited until Hana slowly lifted her quivering head and their eyes met. “You might want to check the authenticity of your designer dress,” he smiled politely at her. “because the last time I checked, Swarovski isn’t supposed to look cloudy.” A quick nod. “Have a good evening, Miss Cho.”

Without another word, Minho strode past her with Jisung in tow, too furious to even care that the whole ballroom was watching as he walked out holding his royal guard’s hand.


	10. Tteokbokki At Midnight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there and happy new year!! I'm back with an update. Sorry that it took so long, real life got in the way as I've mentioned and I'm still not feeling too well. I'm not sure when I can update again but I'm going to leave with this little chapter that I finished. The plot thickens, I guess? I hope that I can write more for you in the coming days.
> 
> Again, thank you so much to everyone who left comments and expressed their love for the story. You guys help help keep going.

Jisung dried his face after he splashed cold water on himself. He also carded his fingers through his hair several times in a pitiful attempt to wash out the sticky champagne that was caught between the strands. He was in one of the bathrooms on the upper floors of Hyunjin’s house where Minho had dragged him earlier after the embarrassing incident at the ballroom.

He was shirtless since his dress shirt and jacket were both soiled by champagne and water wasn’t going to do the trick to wash it out. Jisung can ask Chan if he can go back to the palace to change and maybe step in for him to guard Minho while he was out.

He looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror and stared at himself. His hair and face were drenched and droplets of water trickled down the hard plains of his chest. He wondered what the hell just happened back there when Minho stepped in to defend him. Jisung felt queasy and he gripped the edge of the sink; wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around? Wasn’t he the one who was supposed to stand up for Minho?

Just how many times must Jisung fail? Maybe Cho Hana was right, he’s bound to screw up. Fighting is the only thing he’s ever good and as for the rest, he just kept on fucking up. Another question popped into Jisung’s mind; why would Minho do that for him? Something like that is bound to make people talk and the elite tends to enjoy feasting on gossip about one another. Did Jisung put Minho in that situation because there was nothing else he could do himself?

“Jisung?” A knock came on the bathroom door and Jisung’s head snapped up, water droplets flying around when he turned to look at the door. It was Minho.

“Just a moment, hyung.” Jisung called out and grabbed the clean towel on the bathroom counter. He rubbed it on his head to dry his hair and left it draped over like a veil while he made his way to open the door. When he opened it, sure enough, Minho was there.

They stared at each other until he noticed the other’s eyes slowly lower to stare at his torso. Heat burst all over Jisung’s face when he realized that he was still shirtless.

“This is for you.” Minho immediately blurted out while he discreetly averted his gaze up to looked Jisung in the eyes while he handed him a paper bag printed with a designer brand. “It’s Hyunjin’s but he outgrew it. It might be a bit loose on your shoulders considering Hyunjin’s proportions are different, but it should be fine.” He rambled.

“Thanks, hyung,” Jisung nodded with a small smile.

“Hyunjin said that if you’re uncomfortable with it,” Minho added a little too quickly as if he was rambling. “we can let him know and he can look for another one.”

“This will work just fine, I think.”

“Sure?”

Jisung nodded. “Don’t worry about it, I got this.” A wink and Jisung shut the door at Minho before he further embarrassed himself in front of the crown prince.

-

“Jisung!” Jisung was startled when he stepped out of the bathroom as he fiddled with his tie while he tried to knot it neatly. He looked up and saw Chan giving him a worried look. Behind him, he saw the rest of the gang. Jeongin and Minho appeared to be immersed in a conversation before they looked up at his direction. When Jisung’s eyes met Minho’s, the crown prince gave him a quiet smile and he felt his heart kick his ribs.

“Are you okay?” Chan asked the younger. He looked visibly upset at what happened; it was even like he was more upset than Jisung.

“I’m still alive, hyung, it’s okay.” Jisung nodded. “There will always be rude people.”

“I would’ve dumped a whole bottle of wine on her,” Changbin muttered and beside him, Felix stepped forward to place a hand on Jisung’s shoulder.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Jisung,” He said with a gentle and assuring squeeze on his shoulder. “even we don’t know why Cho Hana is here.”

“The ones invited were her parents, not her.” Hyunjin rolled his eyes with a look of grimace and beside him, Seungmin hummed in agreement. “I don’t even know why she’s here unless she insisted to be a plus-one.” He paused and gave Jisung a one-over since the other wore one of his suits. “Does it fit alright?”

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Jisung nodded with a smile. “just a bit loose on the shoulders but nothing too bad.”

“Llama proportions.” Jeongin nodded and laughed teasingly when Hyunjin gave him a little frown. The youngest threw a thumbs up at Hyunjin and the older rolled his eyes.

“ _Cute_ llama-hyung proportions.” Seungmin corrected.

Jisung watched; holy shit was that a blush on Hyunjin’s face? Was he embarrassed by Jeongin’s teasing or…?

“You don’t look too good, though,” Seungmin said this time and he wore a concerned scowl on his face. “Are you sure that you want to go back?”

Jisung scoffed at that. “Of course, it’s nothing at all.” He smiled at his friends and hoped that he looked convincing enough because in truth, he didn’t want to go back out there; not after the humiliation he had to go through. Maybe he could just patrol outside but it was required that he should be near Minho all the time and the crown prince had socializing to do.

“Hm,” Chan frowned at that and his gaze slowly drifted to the floor the way it did whenever he was thinking. “how about I call in San to take over for you for the rest of the evening?”

Jisung wanted to agree but he couldn’t let this beat his pride further because the best he could do is to go back out there and appear unbothered by what happened. Besides, that bitchy woman was put in her place by the crown prince himself.

_“He’s mine.”_

Minho’s words replayed in Jisung’s mind and he felt something stir in him; something like an ember in the crevice of his chest that was fanned until it burst into a flame whose heat quickly spread all over him. Honestly, Jisung didn’t know what to make out of it now that he thought about it.

“I’m giving you the choice, Jisung,” Chan’s voice pulled Jisung back into reality and he saw the Second Commander pull out his work phone.

“I’m okay.” Jisung lied and he even threw in a little chuckle and smile and hoped that Chan bought it. He had to put Minho first over what he wanted; it was Jisung’s duty.

“I’m not.”

Everyone’s attention quickly turned to the source of the voice and stared at Minho.

“You’re not feeling well, hyung?” Felix frowned in concern. “Are you still feeling fatigued from earlier?”

Minho nodded then turned to Chan. “I’d like to go home, hyung.” He said.

“Sure,” Chan quickly agreed then quickly turned to Jisung. “you make sure his highness gets home safely. I’ll arrange for your entourage.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Minho shook his head. “Jisung can drive. The palace isn’t far from here.”

“Uh…?” This confused the heck out of Jisung. The crown prince did have a point that the palace wasn’t far and was just a half an hour drive at best. “Well, if that’s what Minho-hyung wants.”

Minho smirked smugly at Jisung’s agreement. “Great. We’ll take the security vehicle you drove here.” He didn’t even bother to ask while he held out an open hand at Chan and the older handed over the keys with a sigh.

“Drive safe, you two.”

Minho nodded with a smile then he turned to the others. “Can you guys cover for us?”

“No problem, hyung,”

“Yeah, sure.”

“You got it.”

“We’ll handle it!”

“Already have excuses made up.”

Different responses spoke up altogether, but everyone agreed. Jisung watched Minho give the others one last smile before he walked off and he knew that that was his queue to follow. He gave one last wave to the others than the two of them disappeared out to the backdoor of the mansion.

The walk to the parking lot was quiet and Jisung briskly followed behind the crown prince. Neither of them said a word to each other, probably still feeling awkward from the events that transpired. They haven’t even talked about the country club incident. Minho apologized at the garden that morning but Jisung couldn’t respond since Minho gave him time to think. He didn’t have to give an answer now did he?

They approached a black Hyundai Palisade that was parked along the line of luxury cars of the other guests, Minho pressed the unlock button, and the car beeped twice. Jisung waited for Minho to give him the keys so that he can drive but then was surprised when the crown prince opened the door to the driver’s seat.

“Hyung, I thought I was driving?” Jisung asked with a confused frown.

“I can do it. Get in.” Minho replied and Jisung quickly got into the shotgun seat. He stared at Minho for a few seconds and the crown prince started the car. The Palisade purred to life.

“I get it that I’m handsome.” He flashed Jisung that gorgeous side-smile that the cameras loved. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

“Aren’t you fatigued?” Jisung crossed his arms over his chest as he ignored the teasing. “You can’t drive in that condition.”

“Would you relax?” Minho sighed and clipped on his seatbelt and Jisung mirrored the action. “I’m fine.”

That was when the realization sank in and the guard narrowed his eyes at the crown prince. “You _lied_.”

“So did you.” Minho turned to look at him and the corners of his lips twitched with a smug smile. For some reason, it ruffled Jisung the wrong way as if Minho was challenging him but the crown prince caught his white lie earlier too which made them even. “I know you don’t want to go back to the party.”

It hit Jisung right on the face and the feeling of annoyance melted away to be replaced by disbelief. “You,” he forced the word out. His throat felt dry and rough like gravel that it sounded like a quiet squeak. “you lied so that I didn’t have to go back.”

Minho didn’t respond, put the SUV on reverse, and began to back out of the parking slot. Jisung felt like he was going to deflate; first, Minho risked his image in front of the guests by defending him and now he lied to the others so that Jisung didn’t have to carry on with his duty of guarding Minho at the party after the humiliation he went through.

The high iron gates parted to let them through and the guards at the gate bowed as the vehicle passed them. Minho eased the breaks slightly, looked left and right, then turned the car to the right side of the road. The car was quiet and Jisung fiddled with his thumbs while he forced himself to look outside the window.

“Why?” The quiet question slipped past his lips. It was barely a whisper, but it was heard clearly in the quiet vehicle.

“What do you mean, ‘why?’” Minho repeated the question while he slightly sped up.

“Don’t play dumb, Minho,” Jisung huffed out, annoyed. He didn’t even bother with honorifics and Minho rolled his eyes at that but otherwise, kept them on the road. “you know what I meant.”

“You protect me, I protect you.” The older replied and the words stunned Jisung.

“What?”

In the darkness, Jisung caught a glimpse of the way Minho chewed his bottom lip, illuminated by the passing lamp posts as they exited into the main highway.

“How do I explain this?” Minho finally sighed and gently stepped on the breaks until they pulled over in front of a red light. There was traffic during that hour, but it wasn’t that bad. “I spent the afternoon with Felix, and I asked him for advice,” he paused he seemed hesitant to continue. Jisung didn’t know if he was imagining things, but was Minho flustered?

“I asked him how he and Changbin work out so well,” Minho managed to continue and Jisung made a strangled sound as his heart went into panicked overdrive and heat exploded all over his face. “as prince and guard, I mean!” Minho laughed nervously.

“And that’s what Felix said?” Jisung forced out so that he didn’t sit there with his mouth hanging open like a carp out of water.

“Felix said that he and Changbin are a unit.” Minho nodded and put the car on drive when the light turned green. “They keep their actions in check and they’re always careful so that they didn’t put the other’s life in danger. They step in for each other when one of them is in trouble. It’s like a partnership.”

“But they’re lovers.” Jisung reasoned out.

With that, Minho scoffed. “Not until a year ago. Those two absolutely _hated_ each other at the beginning.” He shook his head and let out a quiet chuckle. “You should’ve seen how those two tried to spite each other just to get even.”

“You’re joking.” Jisung gasped. This was hard to believe; Felix and Changbin hated each other? Those two are basically attached to the hip that they might as well be married. “But those two…”

“Are so disgustingly in love?” Minho completed the statement. “That’s just after they got around to accepting their feelings. Also, after Felix was almost abducted by a bunch of goons for ransom.”

“Oh, holy shit,” Jisung breathed, eyes wide open while he stared at Minho. “what happened?”

Minho scrunched his nose at the memory that happened almost a year and a half ago. “They had this really huge fight about something.” He recalled the story. “I didn’t know what it was about because I just walked in on them yelling at each other in the kitchen. Felix threw a whisk at Changbin, but he dodged it then my brother stormed out.”

He sighed. “We didn’t hear from him for at least two hours and when I checked his room, he wasn’t there. His car keys also weren’t in the fishbowl by the door where he usually kept them so I tried calling him, but he wouldn’t pick up. Changbin started to become restless and Chan called Jae-hyung to track Felix’s phone.”

“I think I know this story!” Jisung perked up.

“You do?”

The younger nodded eagerly. “Yeah! Changbin said that Felix was in the middle of nowhere and he locked his phone in the car along with the keys.”

“Oh, is that how they told you the story?” Minho asked, amused. “Cute.”

“What, that’s not what happened?”

“Obviously not,” Minho replied. “When Changbin got to the location, Felix’s car was there but he wasn’t, and the phone wasn’t there either. When Jae-hyung did another track, they traced that Felix was already at an empty warehouse somewhere in Gimpo. Felix put his phone on silent and let it ring so that Jae can trace his location.”

Amazed, Jisung felt like he was at the edge of his seat. “And then what happened?”

“I don’t know,” Minho said blankly. “Chan followed with back up and they got Felix out. No one would tell me the complete details though, they said that it was security protocol to keep these things under wraps, but I heard from some of the guards that the site looked like a massacre.”

_“My love, you took down five men armed with semi-automatic rifles with just an iron pipe because you ran out of bullets.”_

What Jisung heard Felix say in Minho’s room that morning rang clearly in his mind. It made sense now but Jisung didn’t say anything; if it was protocol to keep the details between Felix and the royal security then Jisung should keep it that way.

But holy shit, sweet ancestors, just _what_ is Changbin? Jisung thought that even if he’s been in the royal service for almost a year now as a trainee and a guard, he still didn’t completely know Chan and Changbin.

“Were they both okay, hyung?” Jisung asked when Minho slowed down because of the downtown traffic. They were almost home but it was going to take a little bit more because of the rush hour.

“Changbin suffered some injuries but nothing too major,” Minho said and turned to look at Jisung briefly. “But it was enough to knock some sense in them though. After that, they started to _not_ hate each other and became the gross lovey-dovey couple we all know today who makes out at the back of the home theater.” He paused for emphasis.

“You needed help at that moment, so I stepped in because I know that if I was in a dangerous situation, I trust that you’ll step in too.”

A thud in Jisung chest caught him off guard and he felt like he stopped breathing at those words. Minho trusted him and after weeks of putting himself down after the country club incident, Jisung did not know how to react. Should he thank Minho? Should he graciously accept the words and agree? He didn’t want to make things awkward and he couldn’t think of anything good to say but the silence that filled the car felt oddly…comfortable. 

Jisung settled into the silence and turned away from Minho to watch the road outside. Minho kept quiet as well until the royal palace came into view but then Jisung frowned when Minho just drove past it.

“Hyung, we’re going the wrong way.” He turned to the crown prince.

“I know.”

“Where are we going?”

Minho merely hummed. “To that food stall area near the river. Wrecking Cho Hana’s social image made me hungry.”

“Oh my god, hyung,” It came out as a burst of laughter from Jisung and he even surprised himself. “you can’t be serious.”

“I don’t understand why you always think that I’m joking. I don’t joke when I’m hungry.” The crown prince pouted.

“I just didn’t think that you’re the kind to go for street food, you know?”

Minho rolled his eyes at that. “Hey, it doesn’t mean that I’m the future asshat with the crown who will run this country in the future that I don’t eat street food. I happen to like fishcakes in spicy sauce.”

Jisung’s laughter died into a chuckle and disappeared. He leaned back on the soft leather upholstery. “How did you know about the food stalls by the river, hyung?”

“Seungmin.” Minho merely replied. “that stuck-up brat would drag me out when things get too suffocating and we’d go for a drive around Seoul and the outskirts. We often passed by the river and I’d see the stalls, but we never actually tried them out. I only got to try them when I went on my own one night.”

“You mean like a date?” Jisung snickered he meant it as a joke but was not prepared for the reaction he had when Minho nodded.

“Yeah,” the crown prince said casually as if it was nothing and Jisung felt a strange pang spear through his chest. He felt the laughter die out inside of him replaced by strange bile that simmered and left a bad taste in his mouth.

“Oh,” Jisung shrugged. “that’s cute. I didn’t know you and Seungmin were together. You guys are really good at hiding it.” He resumed looking outside the window at the passing scenery of houses until the structures disappeared and were replaced by the Han river. “Never noticed it until you mentioned it.”

“Aw, is Sungie jealous?” The mischievous Cheshire cat smile curled up on Minho’s lips.

Jisung scoffed loudly… a little too loudly. “Why would I be?”

Minho shrugged. “You’re right, why would _you_ be?”

Silence again and Jisung realized that his arms were crossed over his chest. He forced them apart and let them fall slack on his sides. He was so drained, and the excitement of eating street food died away when he found out that Minho and Seungmin were together. He had no idea why it upset him but he felt irritated that he failed to notice that detail. He was the royal guard of the crown prince, he’s supposed to know these things but it seems that he failed yet again. At least, that’s what he thought to convince himself.

“That was like, two years ago, I think.” Minho suddenly broke the silence while he drove the car into a side road after they passed the bridge. The street led them closer to the river and Minho slowed down when more people crowded the sidewalks that led to a clearing. A small park came into view and it was lined with food stalls, benches and outdoor tables. The light comping from the lamp posts and bulbs strung on strings of wires were foggy from the steam that emanated from the cauldron of soups and various pots of food.

“We broke up.”

Jisung turned to look at the prince. “Why?”

“It just didn’t work out.” Minho shrugged and he drove slowly until he found a small parking lot not far from the park. He browsed and grimaced to see that the lot was full. “Jisung, could you please keep an eye out for an empty spot?”

“Okay.” Jisung nodded and proceeded to carry out his task diligently while he scanned each aisle of cars for a vacant slot. “But you and Seungmin aren’t awkward.”

“It wasn’t always like that,” Minho said while he drove at a snail’s pace. “but Minnie and I worked it out and got closure so we’re okay now which is good because I don’t want unresolved issues with my future advisor and my friend.”

It was there and then that Jisung realized that he was holding his breath and when he exhaled, it came out as a sigh. Minho turned to look at him and arched an elegant brow in question.

“I’m relieved that you and Seungmin are cool now,” Jisung blurted out when he caught himself. “you and your friends are a tight-knit group, hyung, it would suck if there’s a lingering problem that you guys didn’t work out. It’ll affect the others too.”

“ _Our friends_.” Jisung was taken back by Minho’s correction. “You’ve earned your place. Everyone adores you, even Seungmin, even if it’s not obvious. Changbin and Chan-hyung like you and they speak highly of your skills and your potential.”

“And you, hyung?” Jisung asked quietly, nervously anticipating the crown prince’s answer.

“I told you in the garden this morning, didn’t I?” Minho averted his eyes and stopped the car when he still couldn’t find a vacant parking spot. Maybe someone will leave soon. “I like being with you.” He looked out of the window on his side so hide his face from Jisung. “I never would have asked you to stay if I didn’t.”

Jisung smiled at that and he felt something flutter inside him. He was about to give Minho an answer to the prince’s apology that morning when he suddenly saw a car pull out and drive away. “There!”

An impatient sigh. “Finally.”

And Minho was driving again and parked the palisade in the vacant slot. “Let’s go, I’m starving.”

“Me too, hyung.”

They ended up going from stall to stall to buy street food on sticks submerged in thick sauce in paper cups. On the first stall, they had fish cake since it was what Minho was craving and the prince bought one serving before the two of them moved on to the next cart. There was a stall that sold roasted chestnuts and Minho bought a paper bag of it for Jisung because the guard was eyeing it longingly. Jisung offered to pay Minho back but the older just shook his head and waved it away absently.

There was a decent amount of people in the park that night and the night was chilly from the brink of the approaching winter. With the way that the sky was a milky pink from the dark clouds reflecting the light pollution of Seoul, it looked like it was going to snow soon. Also, it was a relief that there were medical masks and spare beanies in the car because it would be a problem if someone recognized Minho.

“What else should we eat, Jisung?” Minho asked him while they walked down the aisles of food stalls and carts that lined the park. There were streamers of colorful light bulbs that hung above them. The lamp posts were adorned with plastic garlands and the shrubs had little Christmas lights on them.

Jisung hummed in thought. “What about some tteokbokki? My treat this time.”

But Minho shook his head. “It’s fine, I can-“

“Hyung, you’ve been paying since we got here.” The younger’s shoulders slumped, and the tone of his voice told that he pouted behind the black facemask he wore. “Let me do it this time or else I’ll feel bad for mooching off of you.” A pause and Jisung’s gaze shied away. “Besides, I want to do something nice for you for me earlier.”

“You don’t have to, “Sungie,”

“But I want to, hyung! You’ve been nothing but generous tonight so let me return the favor.” Jisung’s dark eyes twinkled from a hidden smile and the reflection of the lights in the park. “It’s just tteokbokki.”

“Fine.” Minho gave in and Jisung slightly puffed out his chest at the small victory. The older rolled his eyes at his guard’s little celebration. Minho rubbed his hands together when a cold winter breeze blew down on them to warm up his frozen fingers. He wore gloves when he left the palace for the party, but he forgot them at Hyunjin’s house.

“Oh,” Jisung noticed the desperate action and he quickly slid off the glove on his right hand and handed it to Minho. “Wear this.”

Well, that was weird. Minho scowled, confused but wore Jisung’s glove on his own right hand. “Thanks.” At least only his left hand is cold now so that’s a fifty percent improvement on the situation.

Then, Jisung held out his hand towards the crown prince. “Give me your hand, Minho.”

The other looked at the outstretched hand offered to him and slightly hesitated. Minho was glad that wore a mask or else his flushed cheeks would be exposed. “Why?” he asked, unsure.

“Just give me your hand, hyung,” Jisung sighed while he took Minho’s exposed left hand with his right and stuffed it in the pocket of his black padded coat. Jisung’s warm fingers were around Minho’s freezing ones deep in the warm pocket. Then, Jisung was pulling him towards the tteokbokki cart and Minho had to struggle not to stumble and trip because he was internally panicking right now.

“Two, please.” Jisung cheerfully told the old woman who manned the tteokbokki cart. Minho stood beside Jisung while the two of them waited for their order, attached at the hip with their hands still clasped together inside Jisung’s pocket.

“Oh,” Jisung remembered. “Do you have some tea, grandma?” he asked the old woman.

“I don’t,” She replied apologetically. “but the next cart does.”

“I can go get us some tea.” Minho offered but Jisung shook his head. “I’ll do it. Just stay here and wait for our tteokbokki.”

Before Minho could protest, Jisung let go of his hand and pulled away to walk to the next cart. Minho’s shoulders drooped in disappointment as he missed the other’s warmth.

“Here’s the change.”

Minho’s attention snapped back at the old woman who handed him a worn-out bill.

“Thank you, grandma.” He nodded briefly and reached out with his ungloved hand to take Jisung’s change from the old woman. Then, he felt a strange and faint shock run through his body when the old woman’s fingers grazed his hand, a wrinkled finer tracing one of the lines on his palm. Minho quickly jerked back his hand.

“Heaven’s favor is with you in this life, your majesty,” She whispered softly. “Don’t let go of what you lost before. You may not be so fortunate in the next one.”

Minho froze in shock. “E-Excuse me?” Did this old woman recognize him? And did just call him ‘your majesty?’ That was wrong, Minho was no king… at least, not yet. The grandmother merely looked back at him with ancient wisdom in her eyes.

“I think you got the wrong person, grandma.” Minho blurted out nervously. He had no idea what this woman was talking about.

“You have the dragon’s line on your palm. Only the true ruler of Joseon possesses this.” She smiled kindly and when Minho stared at her, he noticed her milky irises and that was how Minho realized that the old woman was blind. How the hell is she scooping tteokbokki without spilling it if she was blind? She handed him the plastic bag that contained two styro bowls of freshly cooked tteokbokki. “Here you are, your majesty, two orders tteokbokki!”

“I’m not-…” Minho nervously replied but then was distracted when Jisung called him.

“Hyung!” The younger waved from three carts away and he held up a carton holder with two paper cups of steaming hot tea. “Are you done over there? I got tea!”

“Your general awaits.”

It was a soft murmur as the old woman turned away, but Minho’s head quickly snapped to look at her, ready to throw a few more questions, but she had already disappeared behind the thick curtain that hung behind the cart and a young woman wearing an apron over her padded jacket stepped out.

“You should take a break, grandma, I’ll take it from here!” She said behind the curtain and when she looked up, met Minho’s eyes shocked and confused eyes.

“Oh,” She smiled brightly at him. “Did you need anything else, sir?”

The crown prince quickly shook his head and pocketed Jisung’s change, hiding his ungloved hand in his pocket. “No, I’m good.”

Minho turned around and quickly walked to where Jisung was waiting for him.

“What took you so long?” Jisung asked and Minho just shrugged, trying to shake of the weird feeling he got from the tteokbokki seller. There was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind, a small voice that spoke to him so quietly that it was barely there. Minho’s heart quickened in agitation; he felt like he had forgotten something but couldn’t figure out what it was.

“I found a good spot, hyung.”

Jisung found them an empty bench that had a wide view of the Han river. Minho and Jisung were in luck because there was a light show tonight where the side profile of the bridge will light up in different colors in celebration of the upcoming holidays.

They ate their tteokbokki and only paused in mid-bite when the light show began. The bridge lit up with dancing lights that synchronized with the orchestra music that blasted in speakers set up around the park. Minho quietly sipped his tea while Jisung took out his phone to capture the light show on video.

“It’s pretty, huh?” Jisung asked. Minho nodded and hummed in agreement. The younger stopped filming and switched his phone to camera mode before he aimed it at Minho who was quietly indulging in his tea. “Hyung, smile!”

Minho looked at the camera that was pointed at him and held up a peace sign while with one hand and his paper cup on the other and he smiled just as Jisung asked him to. As Jisung took burst shots and on queue, Minho moved and did several cute poses.

“Happy?” Minho asked teasingly when Jisung sat back down on the bench while he swiped at the photos to check them.

“Very.” Jisung breathed out a chuckle. He tapped the screen to activate the front cam. “Let’s take a selfie, hyung.”

In silent agreement to Jisung’s request, Minho moved to fit in the frame with Jisung and he leaned in slightly towards the younger. Minho’s cheeks radiated with heat as they smiled at the camera and Jisung took another burst shot. They moved and did several poses until Minho noticed how close his face was to Jisung’s. He pulled away, afraid that Jisung might think he was overstepping boundaries.

“Are you okay?” Lowering his phone, Jisung kept it in his pocket and he looked at Minho with concern. “Aren’t you having fun?”

“It’s not that,” Minho replied, straightening his back against the backrest of the bench, tense. “I’m having a lot of fun with you.”

“Then why the long face?”

Minho looked hesitant to answer but the look of concern on Jisung’s face prompted him. Again, he looked silly and Minho got that urge to kiss him again…which was weird… because why would he kiss Jisung when the other didn’t like him _that_ way?

“I want to do this again,” Minho admitted. “sneak out of the palace to do fun things, and just… be me… with you.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “But can we still even do this again when you make the transfer?”

The crown prince lowered his gaze and stared at his polished designer shoes, unable to even look at his royal guard. Then, Jisung chuckled.

“I don't think I will push through with it.”

Minho snapped his head to look at Jisung, wide-eyed. “Really?”

Jisung’s chuckle quieted down to be replaced by a shy smile. “Yeah.”

Grinning, Minho threw his arms around Jisung’s neck and pulled him into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, Jisungie,” he buried his face into the other’s shoulder. “I didn’t mean any of it, I really am sorry.”

Bewildered, Jisung sat still, heart pounding in his chest as he was enveloped in the crown prince’s tight warm embrace. He managed to move his arms and slowly wrapped them around Minho’s waist. He closed his eyes and inhaled the faint scent of the other’s expensive perfume. When he opened his eyes, Jisung found that he was looking up at the night sky. The clouds had parted and there were a few stars that twinkled.

He’s seen this… felt this before… he just wasn’t sure when and where because he was damn sure that Minho’s never hugged him before.

“It’s okay, hyung,” Jisung gently patted the back of Minho’s head, carding his fingers through the crown prince’s wind-blown hair. “you didn’t mean it.”

Minho nodded and a relieved laugh escaped from him as he slowly pulled back to give Jisung some space. Jisung already missed the contact; he wanted to stay in those arms a little bit longer but didn’t dare to bring it up. It’s not like Minho liked him _that way._

Slowly, Minho’s hand slid back but then stopped when his fingers brushed the collar of Jisung’s dress shirt. There, on the side of Jisung’s neck was a long horizontal mark that ended over his adam’s apple. Well, it looked like a scar but upon closer inspection, it was like a stain on his pale skin.

“Were you hurt before?” Minho asked and Jisung immediately touched the mark on his neck.

“Oh, this?” Jisung said, suddenly feeling self-conscious that he casually shrugged off Minho’s hand off of him and pulled up the collar of his coat to cover his neck. “It’s just a birthmark. I’ve had it since I was born.”

“Don’t you like it?”

Jisung shook his head. “It’s not that I don’t like it,” he admitted. “it’s just that…” he trailed off.

“it’s okay,” Minho encouraged softly. “You can tell me unless you’re uncomfortable.”

It took a short moment before Jisung decided to tell Minho what he’s been experiencing for as far as he could remember. “I have this nightmare that always haunts me since I was a kid.” He said. “I thought that eventually, it would go away but it always comes back once in a while and it’s always exactly the same.”

“What kind of nightmare is it?” Minho asked and Jisung visibly shuddered.

“A bunch of weird and scary stuff.” The younger replied. “And I always end up dying in the end then I wake up screaming.” He rubbed his arms as if trying to get rid of the goosebumps that rose. “I don’t like going into the details but that’s pretty much what happens.”

Minho nodded slowly. “I wish it would stop bothering you.”

“I wish it too.” Jisung sighed. “That nightmare recurs randomly. It just hits like ‘bam!’” he made an emphasis by slamming his fist into his other palm. “Then I don’t sleep for the rest of the night. It feels real and I’m scared of going back to sleep because the dream might repeat or continue.”

Jisung let his gaze wander over the dark expanse of the Han river. The tea in his half-empty cup was already cold so he just chucked it in the trash bin beside the bench along with the empty disposable tteokbokki bowl.

“If it happens again, you can call me.” Minho offered while he reached out to brush away a stray strand of hair from Jisung’s eyes that were blown by the night breeze. The guard stilled at the unexpected act of gentleness from the crown prince. “If you want, you can come over and you can sleep there if you don’t want to be alone. I can take the couch.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, hyung,” Jisung snorted. “it’s just a silly dream. It’s probably from some repressed childhood trauma that I don’t even remember about. Also,” he shook his head. “Why would _you_ take the couch? It’s your room.”

“If it bothers you that much then it’s not silly,” Minho replied seriously. “And my couch happens to be very comfortable. I paid good money for it.”

“Hyung, you’ve done enough for me already.” Jisung sighed. “You have more important stuff to take care of.” He paused and chewed his bottom lip momentarily before he said; “You’re the crown prince and I’m just…”

“Han Jisung, I swear to god that if you say; ‘I’m just a guard’, then I’ll throw you into the river myself.” Jisung was startled at the hard edge of Minho’s voice and the next thing he knew, the crown prince’s warm fingers cupped his cheek and gently tilted up his face until Jisung’s eyes locked with Minho’s.

“You are not _just_ a guard,” Minho’s voice was firm. “You are a _royal guard_ personally chosen by _me_ , the crown prince.”

Jisung’s gaze became half-lidded when Minho gently rubbed the pad of his thumb on his cheek and he found himself leaning to the touch. “You have to remember that _I chose you_ because I believe that you have great potential.” The older continued gently. “And I wish for you to stay because after spending time with you, I’ve grown to trust you a lot. I don’t feel the same towards someone else.” Minho’s pale cheeks flushed with color and he averted his gaze. Slowly, he pulled his hand back from Jisung’s cheek.

“So, when you said you were staying,” Minho admitted, flustered. “It… it made me very happy, Jisung.” His voice trailed off towards that end.

Jisung’s heart pounded in his chest and his whole body buzzed with warmth and weird butterflies fluttered in his stomach. With the way that Minho held him, those strong words of encouragement, and the confession that Jisung made him happy…

Was that normal between friends?

Was that normal between a prince and his guard?

Silently, the two realized that the answer to both questions was ‘no’.

Slowly, Minho leaned in and looked deep into Jisung’s eyes as if he searched for something within the dark starlit depths. “Will you stay?”

The answer to that question came easily to Jisung and he leaned in as well. Boldly, he reached out this time and gently cupped Minho’s cold and flushed cheek.

“For as long as you want me to.”

“Then, you’ll be around for a long time.”

“Good to know, hyung.”

Minho’s lips turned up with a ghost of a smile as he leaned against Jisung’s touch and gently rubbed his cheek against the younger’s palm. Jisung smiled and he let himself lean in closer while Minho did the same, eyes closing slightly as his lips parted.

Hot breaths mingled between them, fogging up the gap and Jisung closed his eyes as he finally closed the space between their lips.

Jisung’s phone rang.

Both guard and crown prince jolted in surprise. Minho clasped his hands together over his lap while he leaned back and glared at the sky, cursing the universe for ruining that moment. Jisung, on the other hand, quickly pulled out his phone, almost dropping it on the ground from the panic that wracked him.

“Hello, hyung?”

Minho looked at Jisung in silent question and the younger silently mouthed ‘Chan’ at him which made Minho roll his eyes in irritation.

Jisung turned away from Minho while he spoke briefly with Chan on the phone. The younger’s answers were quick and straight to the point which Minho guessed that their hyung was wondering where they were. When Jisung ended the call after a quick goodbye he pocketed his phone and sighed.

“They’re back and we’re not there so Chan-hyung got a little worried.” He said and Minho slumped back on the bench. “The king is wondering where you are since you left the party early.”

Minho grimaced. Great.

“Do we really have to go home?”

Jisung nodded with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, hyung.”

For a moment there, Minho slightly chewed on his lower lip while he considered letting a question slip. “Can we do this again?” he hoped that he didn’t sound too desperate because he really did enjoy Jisung’s company.

The royal guard gave a slight look of surprise before his shoulders relaxed and he smiled at Minho, those round cheeks, plump and flushed in the cold. “That’d be cool. I’d love to.” He got up on his feet and held out a hand at the crown prince. “Let’s go. I’ll drive.”

The car ride home was quiet, but it was a comfortable kind of silence that Jisung liked after a long day at work. The traffic wasn’t as heavy as it was earlier because it was already late at night. While Jisung kept his eyes on the road, Minho stared out of the window with his chin resting against his hand before he pulled his coat collar higher on his neck with his free hand.

With that, Jisung pressed one of the controls on the steering wheel to turn the heater a little higher. After tonight, Jisung came to learn that Minho got cold rather easily.

“Thanks.”

Jisung glimpsed a ghost of a smile in the darkness of the car when he glanced at Minho and he reverted to watching the road while he drove them home.

At the palace, Minho insisted that he can make his way back to his room and that Jisung should head back to the dorms so he could rest, but the royal guard merely shook his head.

“It’s protocol, hyung,” he said. “I have to make sure that you return to your room safely.”

“What’s the worst thing that can happen to me?” Minho asked sarcastically. “Fall flat on my face and die?”

“Or get sniped from one of the windows.” Jisung offered helpfully and Mino rolled his eyes at that. “But, please, just let me? I don’t want Sungjin-hyung to roast my ass.”

“Fine.” The crown prince sighed and turned to make the trip back to the palace from the security garage. Well, maybe Jisung kind of lied. As per protocol, Jisung should at least make sure that Minho enters the palace before he can leave, not necessarily walk him all the way to his room, but Jisung wanted to spend as much time as he can be with Minho.

He remembered that scene at the park where the two of them were close, so close that their breaths mingled. _It almost happened,_ but Chan just had to ruin the moment. Jisung thought to himself, they almost kissed. Did that mean something? Maybe it was just the spur of the moment because the riverside scenery was kind of romantic.

Yeah, maybe it was that.

Jisung’s hopes deflated.

_“You have to remember that I chose you…”_

“Will the elevator be fine?”

Minho’s question snapped Jisung out of his reverie and he realized that he had absently walked from the garage up until the ground floor elevator of the palace. “Ye-yes.” He blurted out.

The older nodded and pressed the button for the chrome doors of the lift to let them in. When Minho hit the button to the third floor where his room was, the doors closed, and the car started to slowly climb up. It only took about fifteen seconds for the elevator to stop and the doors parted once again to reveal the rustic marble of the third floor.

Minho stepped out in one fluid movement.

“Oh,” he said as he turned around to face Jisung in the elevator. “Could you send me our pictures and videos?”

“Sure,” Jisung nodded enthusiastically with a faint flush in his cheeks. “I’ll send them over as soon as I get back to the dorm.”

The crown prince gave one final nod and turned away to head to his room. Left alone, the guard pressed the button to make the elevator descend to the ground floor. Just as the doors closed, a hand shot through the narrow gap and pushed one of them to the side, making both doors re-open.

Jisung gave a confused look at Minho who stared at him with wide eyes, his breath, coming in and out in short puffs.

“Hy-“ Jisung wasn’t able to finish what he was going to say. Through the open doors, Minho stepped, grabbed Jisung by the waist, pressing the younger against him.

“May I?” Minho muttered the words quietly as he looked deeply into Jisung’s eyes, as he if was searching for the answer.

“Yeah,” Came Jisung’s breathy answer before Minho finally close the distance between them and brought their lips together in a soft and gentle kiss.

They stood like that for what felt like an era and two seconds into it, Jisung’s shock faded and he was kissing Minho, responding to the crown prince’s lips that gently moved with his. The feeling of it was something they both never experienced with other people. It was gentle, warm, and it felt like the most natural thing in the world. It beckoned them towards each other and Jisung’s arms slid up to wrap around Minho’s neck as the other pulled him closer.

It felt right.

It felt familiar.

It felt like coming home.

They broke the kiss for air and ended up staring at each other with stupid grins on their faces.

“Good night, Jisung.” Minho muttered gently and he took Jisung’s hand before he lifted it up to his lips and pressed a lingering kiss on the calluses of his knuckles. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The action made Jisung flustered, but he chuckled happily. “Good night, Minho.”

With that, Minho took a step back to the hall and they smiled at each other until the elevator doors closed.

*

It was two in the morning, but he wasn’t tired at all. The glittering city skyline of Seoul was lively but silent on the other side of the floor-to-ceiling window of his office. He nursed his drink, a glass of whiskey on the rocks with a few drops of wild honey. He was told that he mixed strange things in his drinks, but he usually just laughed it off.

He reached for his phone and tapped on the screen to scroll through his contacts before he hit a number that he has called so many times before.

Someone picked up on the other line.

**_“Hello?”_ **

“Hello, young master,” He smiled through the receiver while he put his drink down on the mahogany and marble surface of his desk. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to chat with you earlier. I’m sure you saw that I was quite occupied.”

 ** _“What do you want?”_** the younger voice on the other side of the line bit back.

He smirked. “I was just wondering about your thoughts on the little scene at the party,” he drawled. “you know, with prince Minho and that bodyguard.”

**_“What about it? The crown prince just put Cho Hana in her place.”_ **

“Are you sure?” He asked, unamused. “Because of the way I saw it, young master, it was certainly intriguing.”

**_“What are you getting at? Stop bothering me.”_ **

He chuckled. “You wound me,” he teased gently. “but if you’re too iffy right now, then maybe Lia would provide the better conversation.”

There was an icy pause on the other line and when the younger spoke up, his voice was trembling with anger. **_“You stay away from her!”_**

“Then you will answer my questions.”

Another long and hesitant pause from the other end of the line but then the younger voice spoke again, this time, it trembled with defeat.

**_“Fine.”_ **

He smiled in triumph and took his whiskey glass to reward himself with a drink. “I want you to tell me _everything_ you know about those three royal guards.”


End file.
